Harry Potter and The Dirty Little Secret
by spiffy the scribbler
Summary: Based off of a pseudo-movie trailer I made on youtube. FULL SUMMARY INSIDE - PLEASE READ BEFORE THE STORY! PLEASE!
1. The Temptation

**_PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS FIRST!!_**

Okay, as I said earlier, this fic is based off of a pseudo-movie trailer I made and put up onto youtube (more on that later) which, ideally, you should watch before you read this. If you want, go straight to the link at the bottom of the introduction and ignore the intro itself.

So, basically, say Cedric never died in the Triwizard Tournament. Say the Yule Ball never happened. Say that Umbridge never took over, and that Fudge wasn't such a lunatic. And say that I have a few of my OC's from my debut fic Stars In the Sky in here, like Cho's 'new' best friend, Eri Lee. Oh, and say Harry doesn't know Cedric and Cho are going out. So we begin our story at the beginning of Harry's fifth year, basically everything's the same other than the fact that Ced's alive. He still has a thing for Cho, and if you watch the**_ video (which I will explain how to find on youtube later)_** they still see each other around. Cho has a sudden realisation that she's more interested in Harry than her own boyfriend. At school, this develops, they get along real well and then...

They hook up.

I don't mean hook up sex. I mean make out and snog to the point of groping and hands-beneath-shirts hook up. Yes?

And poor Harry doesn't know his beloved Cho is ALREADY TAKEN. Until his over-protective best friend Hermione decides to clue him in. After confronting Cho, our pair decides to conduct their little liaison right under Cedric's nose. Until he begins to get suspicious. Because even though he's still Cho's boyfriend, he knows losing her little by little - she's becoming more and more distant, and spending less and less time with him. And he'll do anything...

To win her back.

He's got his eye on his girl and her 'friend' Harry, and whenever they make googly eyes and flirt across the hall at breakfast, lunch or dinner, he's a-lookin' out.

But who cares, when Harry and Cho can flirt and make googly eyes elsewhere?

Enter: Room of Requirement.

So... Ready to keep the secret?

**_The VIDEO!!_**

On youtube, search the name eatSonigiri23 (yes, random I know) and click the video that says 'Harry Potter and The Dirty Little Secret'. If you like, you can take a look at my other HarryCho videos.

Tell me what you think of them! Although, do rate and comment them to what you think it deserves. Unlike some crazy HarryGinny people (no offense to them or the pairing) that hate me and rated my video with something I KNOW it doesn't deserve. Grrr...

* * *

Harry Potter stood at the door of his train compartment, staring blankly at the girl buying two Pumpkin Pasties from the trolley in front of him. He swore he was supposed to be doing something else, but at the moment, he really couldn't remember what.

'Thank you.'

She gave him a smile – one of those smiles that a boy just can't get over – right before she turned and pushed her giggling girlfriends along the train corridor. They just _had_ to giggle like that when a boy began to drool.

Which, if she looked closely, Harry was.

Harry tried to smile back, but it turned out to be more of a twitch than anything else.

He knew who she was.

She knew who _he_ was.

It was only a matter of time before something happened.

* * *

'Anything sweet for you, dear?' asked the trolley lady.

Harry snapped his head to look at the plump witch. 'I – er – no, I'm not hungry, thank you.' He craned his neck to see Cho walking away, but she was already gone. He leaned back into the compartment and slid the door closed. Falling into his seat, an uncanny grin curved his lips. There was just something about her that made him smile.

And she hadn't spoken a word to him.

* * *

'Here's your Pasty,' said Cho as she walked into one of the Prefect's cars, handing the pumpkin treat to her Prefect boyfriend sitting in the carriage seat beside her.

'Thanks,' said Cedric, taking the pastry. He eyed the minute small tugging at the corners of his girlfriend's (indeed, quite pretty) lips. 'What took you so long?' He put his free arm around her shoulder.

'Hm?' Cho turned to look up at her boyfriend – who was rather tall, even when sitting down – and blinked. 'What?'

'You're smiling,' he said, running his thumb over the curve of her smile.

'He's right,' said Eri Lee, popping a bean in her mouth. 'You're smiling like an ass.'

'I wasn't aware asses could smile,' said Cho bluntly.

Cedric grinned, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek. 'I wasn't either. But you're a very pretty ass with a very pretty smile, so I think I'm convinced.'

Cho giggled uneasily. If Cedric had any idea at all that she was smiling because Harry Potter had stared at her while she'd bought a couple of pasties, it wouldn't have been so funny. She'd _tried_ not to smile back so flirtatiously, but she couldn't help it. He was just so-_so_-

'Is your appetite gone?' asked Cedric, looking at her, and then at her pasty.

'Have it,' she said, 'I'm not hungry anymore.'

'Are you sure?' asked Cedric. 'We've got a fair bit to go till we get to school –'

'I said _have it_,' insisted Cho, putting the pasty into her boyfriend's large hand. He was always such a fusspot.

Cedric's grey eyes turned concerned. When Cho was feisty over food, more often than not it was because she didn't want to share it.

'I had a big breakfast,' she said. A lie. A complete and utter lie. Well, not really – she _did_ have a rather large breakfast due to her mother's concern that she would be fed pure sugar on the train – but it wasn't why she wasn't eating.

That Harry Potter just seemed to take her appetite away.

For food, anyway.

* * *

Harry's stomach grumbled. Oh, sure, _now_ he remembered why he'd even bothered to stand up and talk to the trolley lady.

'Here mate,' said Ron, offering him a piece of Drooble's gum. 'Small wonder why you didn't buy anything.'

'Why didn't you?' asked Hermione.

'Cho Chang was there,' said Ron.

'Really? Harry, why didn't you do anything?' asked Hermione. 'I was under the impression you, well, _fancied_ her – the way you turned red when you saw her last year. Although, I do think it strange that _she_ didn't say anything to _you_ – did she –'

'I did not turn red.'

'You did, Harry,' agreed Ron. 'Red like my hair red.'

And then Harry began to redden, just as they'd said.

* * *

'I'll see you later, darling,' said Cedric as he and Cho went to their respectable tables. He saw Cho wave back feebly as she walked away.

_What on earth had happened on the train?_

One moment he'd had her head on his shoulder, laughing, the next she was smiling out the window; barely talking to him.

Cedric shook his head and sighed as he heard his name being called.

'Ced! Hey Ced!' yelled another Hufflepuff by the name of Ian Stebbins, waving at him from the table. 'Over here!'

Cedric grinned and waved back.

'How was your summer?' asked Ian, clapping Cedric on the back. 'All over that girlfriend of yours, no doubt?'

Cedric grinned again, but shook his head. 'Can't tell you that sort of thing, sorry.'

'Is she as good in bed as she is on the pitch?'

Cedric turned stern, his hand grabbing a fistful of Ian's collar. 'Hey,' he said, turning and narrowing grey eyes at Ian – who had only meant to emphasise the fact that Cho was incredible attractive – 'I told you not to talk about her like that.'

Ian swallowed. 'Sorry, mate.' Cedric wasn't an aggressive, or even violent, person by nature, but talking like that about his girlfriend was seriously pushing his buttons – he clearly had forgotten that last part. 'Could you – could you let go now?'

Cedric slowly let his grip ease from Ian's shirt. 'I'm not going to tell you again,' he warned. 'Next time it'll be the wand telling you.' He'd never liked people talking about Cho like that. Like she was some mindless, heartless _thing_. He hated it even more when they began to talk about her _like that._ Like she was there for sole amusement and pleasure, even if she was the best looking girl in Ravenclaw – and probably the school. The thought of anyone else with her like that… His hand clenched and his chest tightened.

He looked over at her from across the hall.

She was talking with Eri Lee, talking quite animatedly.

Cedric grinned. She'd always been cute when she got excited about something.

* * *

The next morning in the Great Hall, Harry stood from the Gryffindor table, having finished breakfast, when Hermione handed him his timetable.

'McGonagall gave them to me earlier,' she explained. 'We have Transfiguration first.'

'Do we?' asked Ron, walking up to them from behind.

'Yes, but I've left my textbook in the dormitory,' said Hermione, sighing, 'I'll have to go get it. I'll meet you there.' She turned to leave.

'I'll er – I'll help,' said Ron awkwardly, following Hermione.

Hermione gave him the strangest look.

Harry raised his eyebrows. What was going on with _them_?

It took him a while to realise, but now he had to walk to Transfiguration _alone._

* * *

Cho walked down the corridor, a book open in her hands. She was reading as she went, and so far had not bumped into anybody – until she collided face first with Harry Potter's chest.

'Oof!'

'Aa_-aah!_'

She hadn't realised it was him, not even when they picked themselves off of the ground, till she looked up into his face – his glasses were crooked.

'Harry,' she said, smiling and bending to pick up the book she'd dropped – he beat her to it.

'Er, here,' he said, having no idea what else to say.

'Your erm…' she began, giggling a little, 'your er – glasses…'

'What?' He blinked, before realising he could see clearly with only one eye. 'Oh! Oh, right.' He reached up to fix them, but her hand was already there. He suddenly felt a pleasant tingling around his face as she adjusted his glasses.

'There,' she said. 'All better.' She smiled up at him; he was taller than she. Just about every good-looking boy in school was.

Harry laughed nervously. 'Er… Thanks.'

'No problem.'

There were students walking by – many of the boys that did ogled Cho a little, if not a lot – and there was chatter around them, but there seemed to be a thickening, growing silence between them that put both parties ill at ease, but at the same time, there was a pleasantness about them – like they _enjoyed_ standing there with nothing to say; just smiling and giggling like five year olds.

'…What do you have now?' asked Cho finally.

'Transfiguration,' said Harry.

'Oh,' said Cho nodding, 'I've erm… I've got Charms.'

_Which is on the way to the Transfiguration classroom._

Harry swallowed. He had no idea what he was doing, but he was apparently doing it anyway. 'D'you –'

'Yes?'

'D'you er – d'you want me to – erm – walk you… there?'

* * *

'How was your summer, then?' asked Cho as they walked.

'Alright,' said Harry, 'I er – I live with Muggles, so it probably wasn't half as exciting as yours.'

'Muggles?' asked Cho. 'Relatives?'

'Er,' said Harry, 'yeah. Relatives. Not exactly the nicest, mind you. They aren't the er… Friendly type to magic.'

'That must've been horrible,' said Cho. 'No offence or anything.'

'No, no,' said Harry, laughing, 'you're spot on there.' He looked at her; her hair was glossy and smooth – Harry suddenly had the urge to touch it. 'What – er, what did you do over the summer?'

'Nothing much,' said Cho, 'I played a lot of Quidditch with my cousins, and I went to see Tutshill against the Arrows – good match, by the way.'

'You're lucky you can even fly your broom in the summer,' Harry said, half to himself.

'I – what?' Cho blinked. 'Oh, the Muggles, right?'

Harry smiled weakly. 'Yeah.'

'You should tell me when you're free, then,' said Cho, 'we'll catch up on your flying.' She smiled at him, and then mentally froze. _Did that sound like a date?_ She knew it did. Cedric's face appeared in her mind. He was still her boyfriend.

_But it's just Quidditch,_ she reasoned with herself.

_Quidditch with a generous side serving of flirting._

Cho swallowed. She didn't want to – couldn't, even if she tried – take the offer back. But Cedric would.

Harry's eyes widened. Was she serious? 'I – er – sure!' he said, a little eagerly.

Cho grinned. 'Great!' _It was innocent. It was just Quidditch._ 'Oh – erm,' said Cho, pointing to the Charms classroom they were nearing, 'I'll-I'll see you, then?'

Harry nodded, smiling like an idiot. 'Y-yeah, I'll see you.' He was bouncing all the way to Transfiguration.

You couldn't blame him. He was a 15 year old boy who'd just managed a conversation – and a flirt – with the girl he'd harboured a fancy for since he was 13.

* * *

'What's the matter with you?' asked Hermione. 'You look all… Happy-like.'

And she was supposed to be smart.

'I – er –' began Harry. 'Nothing.' He thought it best if Hermione didn't know. Not yet, anyway. If he did, Hermione would be on Cho's case like a bad hex.

'Hmph.' Hermione furrowed her brows and shook her head, looking back to her essay on the Transformation of Magical Beings.

She was suspicious, Harry knew. Maybe she could even guess, but until then, he'd try to keep his mouth shut. 'Hey,' he asked suddenly, 'where's Ron?'

'I don't know,' said Hermione, looking at her essay. 'He said he had to go do something or other…'

Harry frowned. Today had started off adequately, and then was wonderful by his first class, but now it was very, very strange. 'Er, Hermione…'

'What is it?'

'We don't have any assignments for the weekend, do we?'

'Not that I'm aware of,' said Hermione, 'Not yet, anyway. Why?'

'Oh,' said Harry, 'I er, just wanted to er – plan my time out.'

At this, Hermione beamed. 'Now, see Harry, _this_ is what's going to get you organised! This is exactly what you need! Structure and planning! Good on you!'

Harry smiled feebly. 'Er – well – erm – yeah.'

* * *

At dinner, Harry made a resolution to find Cho. So, waiting by the doors, he spotted her, hidden amongst her giggling Ravenclaw girlfriends. He didn't want to call out her name and cause a scene with her friends – they'd be in giggling fits on the floor by then. She was drawing closer. Harry wildly lunged an arm out as she was passing by and grabbed her arm.

She turned, her eyes wide. 'Harry!'

Attention was the last thing Harry had wanted, but it was the first thing that came. Her entire group turned and gasped; some giggling, some with their mouths so wide, Harry could have stuck his fist in there.

'Can I – er – can I talk to you?'

Cho nodded, and let her friends walk on into the Hall, still giggling.

'About the Quidditch thing…' began Harry.

Cho nodded again. 'Yes?'

'I'm, erm – I'm freeongsatriday.'

Cho blinked. 'Sorry?'

Harry heaved in a breath. 'I'm – I'm free – on-on Saturday.'

'Oh!' said Cho, smiling, 'Oh, okay, well, I think I'm good for then too, so…'

All Harry's mouth could do was open and close like a fish.

'I'll see you on the pitch. Say, at three?'

Harry nodded, his mouth now grinning and wide open. 'O-okay, great. That's great.'

Cho giggled. 'I guess it is.'

* * *

So. You like?

There's a bargain I've struck in a previous fic, which I think I'll do for every story I do now.

So, no next chapter until there's a good amount of feedback aka REVIEWS.

Cool?

If it isn't, too bad. No chappie for you then.


	2. Too Late To Turn Back Now

Okay, so some of you might have noticed I deleted this chapter a little while ago - some of you may not. Regardless of whether you did or not, the reason is because I was getting a lot of comments on the nature of Harry and Cho's little broom escapade. Well. I've re-read it all, changed a fat chunk of it, altered some tiny little bits, and am now very satisfied with it.

So go on and read it for me, will you?

* * *

Saturday could not come any sooner. Before Harry realised, he was walking down the dormitory stairs, carrying his Firebolt and dressed in a pair of worn, comfortable jeans and a jumper; it could get cold up in the air.

'Where're you going, mate?' asked Ron from behind.

'Er, just going to er – get some, er – practice done down at the – er – pitch.'

'Can I come?' asked Ron brightly.

'No!'

Ron's smile was slapped off.

'I mean, no, because – erm…' Harry began, 'I just need to let off some steam, yeah? It'd be pretty boring for you – I wouldn't be off of my broom at all.'

'Oh,' said Ron slowly, 'alright then.'

'Where are you off to?' asked Hermione, coming down the other set of stairs.

'The pitch. Just erm – just catching up on lost practice.'

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say another word, Harry was already through the portrait hole.

* * *

Cho pulled on a jacket – a windbreaker that wasn't quite her normal sort of attire – and picked up her Comet 260 (which her father was itching to replace with a Firebolt), and just about skipped her way to the Entrance Hall.

Where Cedric caught her.

'Cho!' he said, catching her mid-skip from behind. 'Where're you going?'

Cho froze for a fraction of an instant, before turning in his arms and shrugging. 'Quidditch pitch. Just want to get some air.' She waved her broom in his face.

Cedric grinned and caught her wrist. 'Yes darling, I can see that.' He leaned closer. 'I was wondering if you wanted to erm… Come with me… To the Astronomy Tower.' He kissed her, and then trailed to her slim neck. 'Now?'

Cho giggled, and let Cedric hold her for a moment before she felt his lips grazing on the spot he knew that tickled behind her ear. 'N-no, Ced-cedric!' She giggled madly, squirming in his arms. 'S-stop it!'

But she only felt his lips grin against her skin.

'Astronomy Tower, then?' he whispered, his hand at the small of her back, holding her to him. He'd always loved the way they fit together.

Cho thought for a moment. If she went with him, Harry would be standing there, alone at the pitch. If she went with him, she could have Cedric ravish her to her heart's content.

But then again…

Lately, it hadn't been Cedric she wanted ravishing her.

No.

_No._

Cho shut her eyes and shook the thoughts away. She was a loyal girlfriend.

For now.

But still. She _did_ want to fly around with Harry for a bit – and for innocent friend purposes only. At least, it was what she kept telling herself, and continued doing so – even when thoughts of how good Harry might kiss came to mind.

Cho sighed. She was going. That was final. 'No.' Best to stick to plans anyway.

Cedric pulled away and blinked at her. 'What?'

'I just need to get out for a bit, okay?' Cho pressed her lips to his, and before he could even try to deepen the kiss, she pulled away. 'You wouldn't want me to have my head elsewhere while we're…'

Cedric grinned and pulled her close again. 'Now, see, we could test that theory. If you're head is "elsewhere", then let's see if I can get it where it belongs, eh?' His smile turned sly, and he began on her neck again.

Cho gently pushed him off. 'Later, okay?' She leaned up, kissed his cheek and stepped out of his embrace. 'I'll be back soon.' She walked away slowly, but Cedric followed her.

'What _is_ it about the Quidditch pitch that you're so fascinated and wanting to leave me, now?' He caught her in his arms again, and was whispering in her ear, a hand over her flat stomach and slowly teasing upward. 'If you aren't going to go with _me,_ then I'm going to go with _you._'

Cho froze. Oh crap. Turning to face him, she said, 'Ced, it isn't that I –' She suddenly gave a pleasurable squeal as Cedric's hand had taken to sliding from her hip to her rear. 'Ced, please. I just want to get out for a bit – you know, have a bit of a fly around on my own.' She made sure to say 'on my own'. Even _if_ she truly, _completely_ only thought of Harry as a platonic friend, Cedric was not one who took jealousy well, even with his trusting, good-guy nature. 'I'll see you at dinner.' She tilted her head and smiled. 'Maybe _then_, you can start thinking about inveigling me to the Astronomy Tower.'

Cedric sighed and grudgingly let his arms around her go slack and fall to his sides. 'After dinner, then?' he asked with a grin as Cho neared the doors.

'I said maybe!' Cho called back.

Cedric's grin grew broader. And people wondered why he bothered with the one girl who teased him like that.

* * *

Cho found Harry sitting on the grass of the pitch, his Firebolt beside him.

'Hiya Harry.'

Harry looked up at her and scrambled to his feet. 'Hey Cho.' He pushed his glasses back onto his nose and swallowed. Even in plain jeans and a windbreaker she looked good.

'Ready?'

He nodded and leaned down to pick up his Firebolt.

'Nice broom, by the way. Didn't get a chance to see it properly before or anything, but erm…'

'O-oh,' said Harry, his hand beginning to sweat on the handle of his broom, 'Er – thanks.' He wanted to say something back – something witty and funny, something that didn't make him feel so stupid. Well, at the rate he was going, anything at all would have done fine. 'Your erm… Your jacket is er – it's nice.'

Cho snorted. 'Thanks, but the jacket kind of sucks. Thanks for trying.' She looked over herself. 'I know I'm not as fascinating as you are – with your pretty little scar, and your glasses, and your Firebolt there.' She shrugged. 'I guess my hair is neater than yours, but that's about it.'

Harry laughed. He wanted to point out everything he found fascinating about her, but refrained. 'Er, believe me, I'm not that special.'

Cho smiled and punched his shoulder playfully. ''Course you are.' And with that, she was in the air.

They did lap races around the pitch a few times – though due to the broom differences, it was slightly mismatched, regardless of how well Cho flew. More than twice Harry let her win, but Cho had figured it out.

And then Harry really did have to run for his life as Cho chased him around on the ground, threatening to beat him with her broom if he didn't race her fair and square.

Subsequent to said events, they flew around each other – in spirals, upward, downward – however they felt like it. Harry had let Cho take his Firebolt for a ride and upon seeing her fly on it, was suddenly was aware of how incredible she'd be on one in a match.

Afterwards, they flew side by side, slowly, so that they could talk.

Cho was sitting backward on her broom, and Harry was sitting sideways – the brooms going at an unhurried, leisurely pace.

They talked for hours, about anything and just about everything. Harry was surprised at how easy it was to talk to her – at how easy it was to be open and honest with her. He told her about the Dursleys, about Sirius; just about everything except for the particularly nasty, graphic sort of stuff like how Voldemort was living on unicorn blood for a year or a how Wormtail had cut his arm open last year. He didn't think now was the time to tell her about that. What surprised him more was how much _she_ told him.

She talked about her girlfriends – apologised for the ridiculous giggling whenever he'd come around, her best friend Eri Lee, her family – an overprotective healer mother and a businessman father – and favourite Quidditch team, the Tutshill Tornadoes.

Harry had politely pointed out that Ron wouldn't be happy if he knew she was a supporter.

Cho had laughed and said that he wouldn't find out unless he told him.

He didn't realise it, but as every moment passed, he was drawing closer to her – be it with a grin and an unconscious lean forward, or a grasp of the arm; and it didn't bother either of them at all.

As the hours went by, Harry noticed just how enchanting her smile was; it made him want to take a picture of it and glue it across his glasses – her grin was just as good, if not better – and how she had the most pleasant laugh; her giggles, her blunt snorts, and then her bright, slightly hysteric laughter whenever he made a good joke.

It was beginning to get dark, and they were still on their brooms, when Cho said, 'You know, I'm glad we did this.' She gestured with her hands. 'The whole flying and catching up thing. We should do it again sometime.'

Harry smiled and nodded. 'Definitely.' There was something about her that made his mouth go dry. 'It's er… It's getting dark.'

Cho looked around. 'Yeah, it is. We've been out here for ages.' It didn't occur to her that dinner would be starting soon, and Cedric would wonder where she was. It was the farthest thing from her mind. She looked at Harry; those green eyes behind his glasses blinking innocently at her. He was adorable.

The sun was beginning to go down, but Harry could still see the colour of her eyes clearly. A warm, chocolatey sort of colour that somehow glittered. He found himself staring into them – looking into them, losing himself in them was like wading in warm, melted chocolate. Sometimes he got stuck, but hell, he loved the feel of it, and damn it was sweet.

'Harry?'

The soft sound of her voice made him blink and look at her. She was looking at him, her lips curved in a soft, but curious smile, and her eyes… They were still glittering. And… Getting closer?

But Cho suddenly pulled away, nervously laughing. 'Erm – we should get going.' She straightened on her broom and flew to the ground, fully aware of how hot her face was.

Harry watched her figure in darkness, and then she waved up at him, signalling to come down. He blinked. For the brief instant he was within an inch of her face, he'd caught a trace of her scent – and she smelled good. Really good. Shaking his head, Harry flew down to where she stood, hopping off of his broom and offering a sheepish smile.

* * *

'You're really good up there,' she said as they walked back to the castle, side by side. She'd her windbreaker tied around her waist, carrying her broom in one hand.

'You – er – you are too,' said Harry awkwardly. Would it seem slightly strange if he began singing praises for her?

Cho laughed. 'Erm… Harry…'

He turned – she'd stopped walking. 'What is it?' Walking back to her, his brows creased in unknowing concern.

She looked up at him, smiling feebly, and then her smile faded. 'There's something… There's something I – ' Cho sighed, shaking her head. She looked down at her feet. 'Harry–…'

Harry began to grow anxious. 'What is it?' he asked again. 'What's the matter?' He stepped closer, unaware of how close he really was, and putting his broom down, took her by the shoulders. They were warm and slender; Harry's hands covered them comfortably. 'Cho?'

She looked up – and his face hovered right above hers. Unlike Cedric, Harry only need lean down an inch or so, and they would've been kissing. Cho searched his eyes – bright, worried, emeralds in the dark. She could feel his breathing on her face – and unconsciously leaned closer, dropping her broom soundlessly against the grass.

Harry's worry began to be replaced with nervousness. She was so close – close enough to breathe in her scent again. Close enough to hold in his arms, the way he'd sometimes fantasised in his daydreams. He blinked, swallowing thickly. He considered, even imagined trying to kiss her – but what if she didn't _want_ to be kissed? What if she wanted a friendly hug or a pat on the back or something? His heart pounded against his chest; he was sure she could hear it.

And then she kissed him.

And Harry's world stopped. Her lips were warm, soft against his, moving in a gentle rhythm that after a moment of pure shock, he instinctively began to mimic. He felt her tilt her head to the side, and then her lips became more confident, more sure against his own. Harry's hands lay dormant on her shoulders, unsure whether to cup her face or hold her waist.

Cho moaned softly, pressing eagerly into the kiss. Her hands had been at her sides – they now slid up his chest, winding about his neck. He moved his lips over hers in a movement so hesitant, so sweet, she slowly parted her lips, leaning up and pressing against him.

Lost in a warm, thick pool somewhere, Harry's mind went blank when he felt, tasted, the warm ambrosia of her mouth. He felt her slender, smaller body pressed against his, and in between it all, he had to think to himself that it was actually rather pleasant. The way her body seemed to meld against his, the sensation of it. His hands had slowly moved from her shoulders to hesitantly hold her waist – it too fit the shape of his hands well. He could feel the warmth of her skin through her top, and he held her tighter. Her lips opened again and again beneath his, and for a while, he remained unsure what to do. Was it better to keep his tongue in his mouth and let her go first? Or should he go for it, all pistols firing?

Again, she answered his question. Aware of his tentativeness, Cho slowly slid her tongue to brush it against his lips, encouraging, coaxing. Slowly, she felt him respond, opening his own mouth wider and holding her closer. Cho let her tongue slide between his open lips, and touch her tongue to his.

This was wrong. This was completely wrong, and she knew it - regardless of whether it crossed her mind or not. She knew it as she tangled a hand in his hair, and as Harry eagerly followed her lips, her tongue. There were no fleeting thoughts of Cedric, but she knew he didn't deserve this. What had he ever done to justify what she did now? It was all – all so wrong.

But somehow, it was so _right_. Harry had touched some place in her heart that Cedric could only ever hope to reach. It was different with Harry. There were no false smiles, no invisible walls, no caring what everyone else thought.

After a long while, they slowly broke away, their breathing heavy and mingled in the chilly air. Harry could barely suppress a smile.

And Cho felt no guilt. None whatsoever. Not even as she moistened her lips, the taste of the boy who was not Cedric still lingering there.

Harry swallowed, almost unable to contain his sudden elation. 'I – er – it was – you were – ' In a word, incredible. He couldn't help his grin. His hands rubbed her sides, somehow sure he was allowed to.

Cho smiled back at him, laughed. 'I was what?' she asked, still pressed against him, her arms still about his neck.

Harry's grin grew broader, and he held her tight to him, leaning his head on her shoulder. There was a muffled, 'Amazing.' He breathed in, and the wonderful scent of her filled him. Almost like he knew what to do, Harry trailed affectionately with his lips across her shoulder to her neck. She was even warmer there, and he was tempted beyond belief to press his open mouth there and see if it was as fun as Fred and George said it was.

She made no move to stop him.

Eventually deciding it was too cold to stay outside, the pair made it to the second floor – empty, save for the suits of armour, and continued to kiss – Cho let him grasp his way around, familiarising himself with his mouth – and hers.

She clutched at his shirt, gently pressed against the stone wall. He had a hand on the wall, the other holding her hip. Their kiss was not lustful, neither was it innocent. It was pure, real, and it was something neither of them had ever felt before. Their movements were not hurried, as if they were so needy as to rip clothes off, but their lips moved together in a languid, relaxed rhythm, holding each other close – because they simply enjoyed the sensation of having each other so close, warm and sure.

Well, that's their first kiss re-done! And I have to admit, I prefer this version.

So what do you think?


	3. One Little Fact

'Where were you at dinner last night?' asked Cedric, his brows creased as he walked beside his girlfriend.

'I – erm… I was… too tired… to eat – when I got back, so I just… went… to bed.' Cho wasn't sure whether lying to Cedric would get her anyplace good, but it was better than saying that she'd been snogged rather ferociously by Harry Potter on the grounds and held tenderly in his arms for longer than she remembered. 'Sorry.' Not to mention the fact that _she'd_ had her tongue down his throat.

And vice-versa.

Cedric shook his head. 'No, no it's fine.' He put an arm over her shoulders, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head. 'I just missed you.'

Cho laughed weakly and smiled a little.

_Damn._

That Harry Potter was one hell of a good kisser.

'Do you have a free period now?' asked Cedric.

Cho nodded. 'Mm-hmm. Why?'

Cedric grinned, his grey eyes glimmering. He took her hand and leading her to the Prefect's bathroom, he pressed her against the column of a cubicle and trailed hungry kisses down her neck.

Cho shut her eyes tightly and hoped he wouldn't notice that on the other side of her neck lay a peculiar reddish mark left by Harry's mouth. She vaguely felt Cedric's hand creep below her skirt, and when he playfully squeezed, she made no sound; no response at all indicating that she was as pleasured as he was – she just wasn't.

Cedric lifted his head, panting. 'Cho?'

Cho opened her eyes. 'What?'

Cedric eased his grip on Cho's thigh. 'Is everything alright?'

Cho blinked, and then nodded. 'I'm fine.'

Cedric shook his head and grinned, leaning closer and letting his hand slide up and down her thigh, 'You aren't acting fine.' His grin grew wider and he set about making sure that she was, unaware of the edgy look in his girlfriend's eyes.

* * *

'Where were _you_ all last night?' asked Hermione from an armchair in the common room. 'You left for the pitch in the afternoon, and you missed dinner. Ron said you didn't get back till late.'

'I erm… I was…' _Spit it out, spit it out!_ 'I was with Cho.'

Hermione blinked. 'With Cho?' She closed the book she was reading and sat up. 'What do you mean, _with Cho_?'

Harry shrugged. 'We were flying around together, and then…' He trailed off, a small, smug smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

'Did you _kiss?'_ asked Hermione dubiously, leaning forward.

Harry scratched his head. Well… 'Yeah.'

'Oh,' was all Hermione said, sitting back in the chair.

Harry frowned. '_"Oh?"_ What's _"Oh?"_ supposed to mean?'

Hermione pressed her lips together before shrugging and saying, 'You know Cedric, right? Cedric Diggory? Hufflepuff Prefect, Seeker and Captain?'

Harry snorted. 'Yeah, yeah of course. Triwizard Tournament, remember?'

Hermione nodded. 'Yes, yes, well…'

'Well what?'

'Cedric is Cho's boyfriend.'

At first, Harry's reaction was blank, until the words registered in his mind, and soon he was out of breath for trying to find words to say.

* * *

Cho adjusted her skirt and ran her fingers through her hair. Her cheeks had faint spots of pink in the wake of the orgasm Cedric had so eagerly set upon her, though she hadn't enjoyed it half as much as she should have. She buttoned her shirt and upon re-tying her tie, felt Cedric kissing her nape behind her.

'Ced…' Frowning, she writhed in his hold and stepped away to continue dressing.

'See, five minutes ago,' said Cedric, still close behind her, 'you seemed perfectly at ease to let me –' He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her hair. ' – touch you.' He rubbed her shoulders. 'Really, is anything the matter, at all?'

Cho didn't reply, but continued to pull on her clothing.

'Cho?' asked Cedric, leaning over her shoulder to kiss her cheek.

Cho sighed. 'No.' She turned around and put a hand on his chest. 'I told you, everything's fine.'

'And I told _you_,' said Cedric, taking her hand, 'everything doesn't seem fine.'

'Well,' snapped Cho, 'it is.'

Cedric gave a submissive sigh and raked his fingers through his hair. Maybe it'd be best to leave the subject alone for now. 'If you say so.'

Cho didn't reply, but turned away to look into a mirror and slip her clips back into her hair. In the mirror, she saw the pained, uneasy expression on Cedric's face. The smallest pang of remorse shivered in her heart. Cho shut her eyes and opened them again, sighing and shaking her head. 'I'm going now.'

She saw Cedric nod in the mirror. Pressing her lips together, she picked up her bag where it had fallen from her grip earlier. Walking to the door, she heard him call out.

'Darling?'

She turned, a cold touch suddenly upon her. Cho forced a smile. 'Yes?' she said softly.

'If there _is_ a problem,' said Cedric, taking a step toward her, 'or anything, really… You know you can always tell me, right? I mean, always.'

Cho glimpsed the worry in the midst of the grey in his eyes. 'Yes.' She nodded. 'Yes, of course.'

* * *

Harry shook his head frantically. 'No – I – it – she – _no!_' He was lost for words. 'What do you _mean_, he's her boyfriend?'

'Her boyfriend,' repeated Hermione, 'As in, holding hands, kissing and I-love-you-I-love-you-too boyfriend. You know –'

But Harry was gone.

* * *

Cho walked through the hallways and corridors, at a neither hurried, nor sluggish pace. She was thinking; reflecting, contemplating. She had a boyfriend – a rather good-looking boyfriend, who had perfect teeth, a perfect smile and a perfectly formed rear end that the majority of girls in the student body would kill to touch as often as she had. A boyfriend who remembered her birthday – remembered to buy a present at all costs – a boyfriend who knew when something was the matter.

And she'd hooked up with Harry Potter in the middle of the school grounds.

The physical sides of things with Harry were – well – they were different. It wasn't just the plain, physical want with Harry. With Cedric, they'd eagerly progressed from stage to stage, somehow wanting more and more each time – and not because they wanted each other that way, but because what they did, they kissed, they touched – it never seemed to be enough. With Harry, the kiss last night was, by measures of other first kisses, spectacular. And she'd wanted him then, as she wanted him now. However, she was somehow content with the kiss. Yes, she wanted to eat him up like a chocolate frog because he was, quite simply, delicious, but the kiss had satisfied something deep inside her that Cedric had never touched. Not lust, not want, and not even desire. Something deeper than all three combined. And then there was that _something else_. Something that put her at ease, that made the day seem just that much brighter. Harry was no Cedric – no one was – but there was that smile of his that made her just smile back, and his bright green eyes that lit up around her. And she could talk to him – really talk to him, about anything. There were no limits with Harry – no expectations, or unspoken rules.

She could be who she was without the pressure of being Cedric's picture perfect girlfriend. Without having to be that princess of Cedric-land. Without having to be shoved on a pedestal she'd never wanted, but had come with the boyfriend. Sure, Harry had his own reputation – an aptitude for trouble, and the Boy Who Lived – but it wasn't like she had to put on a smile whenever he was around. She could feel the way she wanted to feel – not like with Cedric. With Cedric, there was always that underlying feeling that if she wasn't who he wanted – perhaps even needed – her to be, what he wanted her to be, how he expected her to act, it'd fall apart… It had its drawbacks.

Harry was… Different. He was vivid, crackling with barely leashed energy… He was no poster boy, no model student, but he was extraordinary all the same. He could make her laugh so hard she'd fall backwards with her sides splitting in two, and he could, would, say anything because he didn't know, probably didn't even care, that some things shouldn't be said in front of particular girls or-or – he _had_ no rules. Even if he did, he didn't know them. And it made it so much more amazing than living by the standard conventions of boy/girl relationships. Harry was cute. Harry was funny. Harry was sweet – and not because he thought he had to be. Harry was…

Harry was…

Walking toward her. With a very stern, angry sort of expression.

'Harry,' she breathed, smiling a little more honestly than she had a few minutes ago.

Harry's expression remained. Standing in front of her, he avoided her gaze. 'Can I – can I have a word?' He looked around quickly at students passing by. 'In private.'

Cho nodded. 'Sure.' She felt her hand being grabbed by a warm, but firm, grip, and was led to the nearest empty classroom.

'What is it?' she asked, a little curious.

Harry didn't turn to face her, but was walking to the end of the classroom, briskly – as if he was irritated. And then he swivelled around to pierce her with an emerald gaze. 'Are you – are you going out with Cedric Diggory?' he asked, his words quick, his voice starting out strong and then softening. He'd stopped walking.

Cho distinguished the hint of disbelief and hurt behind the angry tone. She hadn't told him directly – obviously he hadn't known. 'Yes.'

Harry's eyes widened. 'Wha-_what?!_ Y-_you're_ going out with Cedric Diggory?!' His words were nearly yelled. 'So what happened last night was-was – just what was it?! I – I _kissed _you. And if I recall right, you weren't exactly pushing me away!' Harry strode toward her, coming up to her so that he was just looking down.

Cho saw in the green what she'd seen in the grey.

Hurt.

But it was the green she wanted to be tending to. 'Harry…' she said softly, her own eyes pleading for him to try and listen – perhaps understand.

Harry took her shoulders and gently shook. 'Did it mean anything – at all?' His voice was breaking from the struggle to keep himself from holding her tight and demanding that she say she'd meant it last night.

'Harry…' she said again, boldly reaching up to glide her fingertips across his cheek. 'I…' She didn't know how to put it; how to say it so he'd understand.

She'd always been interested in Harry – and not just because he had a scar on his forehead. But then Cedric had been interested in _her_ – and she'd thought herself happy with that. But because he had, there had always been that slight wondering, that curiosity of _what if _and _what could have been_. _What if_ she'd gone to Harry and asked him out for a butterbeer at Hogsmeade? _Could_ she be truly happy with him and not with Cedric?

The questions had partly been answered last night.

They got along well – no, better than well. Harry didn't smother her; he was no Prince Charming – exactly what Cedric seemed to be – but there was that-that _thing_ about him that made up for it all. He was polite, and innocent – well, not anymore – and wasn't keen on playing the part of the good boyfriend. He was keen on playing the part of Harry Potter, not some dashing schoolboy who gave a rose to a girl because he thought it was thoughtful. Harry would give the rose because he wanted to.

'I _am_ going out with Cedric…' She chose her words carefully; she could see the anticipation, the innocent wanting in his eyes, and the wounds the knowledge of her with another had slashed open. 'But… I meant last night.' She went further and put her palm against his cheek, her fingers tickling his temple. She shook her head. 'Don't think I didn't.' She smiled softly.

Harry couldn't resist. He bent his head and pressed his mouth to hers – in a desperate search to find the girl he'd been with last night. The girl who laughed and smiled, who could talk about everything as bluntly as any boy would, who had a great sense of humour and could crack a smart one in the midst of anything – his heart soared at the thought.

And then he found her.

He felt her lean into him, her hands gently sitting on his chest and then sliding to his shoulders to pull him closer.

Harry had loved being with her last night – and not just the kisses or the touches. He'd loved talking with her, being with her with such ease and freedom. He'd loved flying with her, racing her and letting her chase him around while he yelled mock insults at her. He loved looking at her, just looking at her – the way she smiled and frowned, the way her brow creased when she was confused or when she concentrating, the way she mumbled an unconvincing, 'Shut up,' when an embarrassing topic came up.

But then that girl pulled away, pressing slim fingers to his lips when he tried to follow.

'Harry,' he heard her say in that gentle, soft tone that swirled around him, enfolding him in a tender embrace, 'do you…'

He bit affectionately on one of her fingers on his lips.

'Do you want this?' she asked, her eyes sincere. 'Do you want me?'

Harry thought he'd understood her question, and leaned forward again to give her his answer, but she shook her head and dodged.

'Not like that.' She locked his gaze with her own, and searched his eyes. 'Do you want me?' she asked again.

Harry blinked slowly, her gaze and her question sobering him. 'Wha- what?' He tried to grasp what she was asking. _Did he want her?_ Yes. _Not that way._ Harry couldn't deny he wanted her like that, but he wanted her in that way too – he wanted her. He wanted her – to see her in the morning and kiss her cheek before breakfast, to talk and lounge around with her on the grounds, by the lake, have her chase him around throwing near-lethal punches because he'd made a bad joke about her. He nodded. 'Yes,' he said against her soft fingers. 'Yes.'

Cho smiled. 'Then I'm yours.'

Harry's eyes narrowed. 'What about Cedric?'

'He doesn't need to know yet.'

'Are you going to tell him?'

'Eventually.'

Harry didn't know whether he was happy with that answer or not, but he was happy that she'd said she was his. It didn't matter if she was Cedric's girlfriend, because she was as good as his. 'So this is a secret liaison now, is it?'

'I think so. Is it a problem?'

Harry thought. Honestly? It really wasn't. 'Not really. Just, what about Cedric, then?'

Cho raised a brow. 'Is it me you're after, or Cedric?'

'No-no – _no_.I'm just saying,' said Harry, unable to stop the grin, 'What happens if he finds out?'

'He won't.'

'How do you know?'

'Why? Do you plan on bragging to him later?'

'No. I'm just worried about you.'

'O-ho, are you now?' Cho's smile was cunning, but beautiful all the same. 'Don't worry. I can take care of myself.'

Harry snorted. 'I _meant_, won't you two get in an argument and everything? Don't you think he'll _mind_ that I'm snogging his girlfriend?'

'Well – yeah,' said Cho, 'but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.'

'Don't… Don't you _care_?' asked Harry slowly. 'Don't you care that he's _your _boyfriend?'

Cho pursed her lips. She hadn't been prepared for that. 'I…' Didn't she? Didn't she care she was hurting Cedric – and he didn't even know it? 'I don't know…' She knew she _should_ have cared. But the only thing she cared about was making sure Harry knew that she felt something for him.


	4. And It Begins

That evening at dinner, Cedric noticed that Cho was once more absent from one of her favourite pastimes – eating.

'Hey Ced,' said Cho's best friend Eri, sitting down beside the Hufflepuff Seeker, 'Seen Cho lately?'

Cedric, frowning, shook his head. 'No,' he said, 'no, I haven't. Have you?'

Eri snorted. 'Nope. Been MIA since…' She thought carefully. 'Ooh, since after our last class, maybe? I dunno…'

'D'you know where she might be, then?' asked Cedric, now more than a little concerned; classes – for everyone – had finished hours ago.

Eri shrugged. 'Sorry, no.' She patted Cedric's shoulder. 'Don't worry – she's a big girl.' Eri paused. 'Well – okay, so she's not that big at all – but she knows how to take care of herself.' She knew Cho could fry any person within a quarter of a mile's radius to a crisp if she really wanted to.

Cedric nodded, smiling half-heartedly. 'Yeah, I-I s'pose.' He kept his eye on the door, hoping she'd come through, preferably smiling and alive.

But for as long as he sat there, leaving his plate untouched, she did not appear.

'This is twice she's missed dinner now,' said Cedric to Eri as she downed a goblet of pumpkin juice. 'It's not like her.'

'I _know!_' agreed Eri eagerly. 'Cho never misses out on an opportunity to eat – damn her, the skinny thing.'

Cedric grinned. He knew what she meant. Cho could eat like a troll and she'd never put on a pound. Strange, but true.

A flash of black and blue caught his eye.

The familiar mirror-shine of her hair, and her blue lined robes.

She walked quickly, her head a little down, making the light from the hall bounce off of her glossy hair – which was slightly tousled, but not too noticeable to many, other than one who'd seen it as many times as Cedric had – and he could barely see her face. He'd expected her to come sit by him and Eri – the Ravenclaw table was one of his regular haunts since he and Cho had met – but she slipped by the end of the table, taking a seat beside Roger Davies. She ate relatively quickly – compared to her regular pace – and did not talk much to anyone around her, save for Roger who seemed persistent about something – probably Quidditch tactics.

Cedric put his fork down and stood from his seat, striding to where she sat. He walked behind her, and from behind, snuck a kiss on her temple, encircling her in his arms. 'Finally getting hungry, were we?'

Cho spun around, her eyes wide for a moment, and then softening. 'Cedric,' she said, smiling a little.

Cedric smiled back at her. He hadn't been able to see her face before, but seeing it now – it was slightly flushed, as if she'd been running. Her eyes were glittering. 'You nearly missed dinner.' He leaned forward and kissed her nose. 'Were you at the pitch again?'

She shook her head. 'No, no, I was erm – in… the er… library…'

'You're pink,' said Cedric, chuckling. 'What, were you studying so vigorously that you got too excited?'

She laughed and shook her head. 'I had to run so I didn't miss dinner.' She glanced at the watch on her wrist. 'Oh, erm, I-I have to er – go back to the library. I left some books out and about and Pince will have my head. I only left to grab a quick bite.' Cho stood and pecked Cedric's cheek before running out of the hall.

Cedric shook his head, grinning.

He clearly hadn't seen the food Cho had snuck onto a plate and shrunk to sneak out with.

Cho let out a breath she'd been holding the moment she left Cedric in the hall. She walked quickly back to the broom cupboard she'd left Harry in, and quickly looked around before she went in.

'Here,' she said, restoring the food to its normal size and handing it to him with a fork she'd stowed in her pocket, 'I got you a few Yorkshires and some roast potatoes, and there's a little shepherd's pie if you want.' She sat beside him against the wall as Harry ate ravenously, nicking a Yorkshire pudding off of the plate. 'We've really got to choose a time other than dinner,' she said, taking a bite of the small pudding.

'Wewl–' said Harry around a mouthful of shepherd's pie, 'ah haff to agree wi' tha'.' He swallowed, before eyeing the pudding in her hand. 'Are you going to eat that?'

Cho looked at the pudding, and shook her head, smiling. 'No.' She brought the pudding to his mouth and he, upon being in able reach, took a mammoth-sized bite out of it. Cho giggled when he attempted to bite at her fingers, but in the end gave up his attentions to the half eaten plate in his hands.

Harry forked the last of the potato into his mouth and put the plate on the floor beside him. 'Thanks for that.' He turned to Cho, who was smiling at him. 'Would've looked pretty suspicious if we'd come in both late for dinner.'

Cho laughed. 'Only thing missing now is something sweet – dessert.'

Harry seemed taken aback, but he grinned. 'Are you sure we didn't have that before we ate?'

* * *

Later, much later, the pair emerged from the rather spacious cupboard, rosy-cheeked, slightly dishevelled and out of breath. A quick kiss goodbye, and then they hurried off in separate directions to their own house towers.

Harry didn't bother to fix himself up very much – a little tucking in of the shirt and a sloppy re-doing of the tie – as he walked back to Gryffindor Tower.

As he walked, Harry considered what had happened in the past week.

He'd managed a conversation with Cho Chang. He'd managed a date at the pitch with her.

And then he'd gotten himself innocently lip-locked with her, and then led up to the second floor corridor to snog, and be snogged, viciously.

The very next day, he'd found out that Cho had a boyfriend – who Harry knew to generally be a nice sort of bloke, but was sure he wouldn't be so nice if he found out that the guy he'd tied with in the Tournament last year was getting it on with his girlfriend in various classrooms and broom cupboards around the castle.

Speaking of whom, looked incredibly good with her uniform a little messed up.

At least, when he'd be the one to mess it up.

But regardless, Harry liked her. Really, really liked her. And it wasn't because he could sometimes taste the sugary sweetness of her favourite sweets – like sugar quills and butterscotch – in her mouth when they kissed, or because she made his left leg tingle up and down when she kissed his neck, or because when she smiled, his fingers grew impatient with the need to touch her lips.

When Cho smiled, it was like someone had decided to make lights around her for a moment, and then when they were together, talking, or just together, his world, their world around them, suddenly went in slow motion. When they were alone, she'd talk like she didn't care whether someone was listening, and she'd look at him with eyes that held something – something affectionate, and warm, but mysterious – and then she'd lick her lips and smile and make Harry want to believe he was really the boy she wanted.

She obviously wanted him.

But did she _want _him? Like, really _want_ him?

The same question she'd asked that day he'd confronted her. _Do you want me?_

The physical sides of things were a given – amazing in itself. How they both felt… She liked him. He liked her. He didn't know whether or not he was afraid of how Cedric would react if he found out; he'd learnt to hold his own relatively well in the past year. But he knew Cho was.

Harry supposed he could see why; she didn't want to hurt Cedric like that. But she had, and Cedric didn't even know. In his heart, Harry wasn't even sure whether he was okay with having to see Cho with him during the day. They'd walk through the halls holding hands, and appear from behind bookcases, untidy and red-faced – just like when he and Cho did. Harry knew he would have to see them together, being together – and it wouldn't be him Cho went to Hogsmeade with.

Eventually, it would.

At least, if Cedric didn't blow him to pieces first.

Days went by, and the days turned to weeks, and weeks to months. When they weren't together, they'd see each other around, sparing fleeting, knowing looks when they saw each other in the corridors, and hidden smiles and grins across the Great Hall during mealtimes, sometimes even daring to stare. They'd sneak winks and touches when they were near enough, like when they passed by close enough for them to brush hands, and when Harry was in good mood, he'd try and sneak a feel – there was one incident on the fifth floor, where Harry managed to stand beside Cho, looking completely innocent and unsuspecting, when his hand darted to Cho's rear.

Which resulted in a giggling Cho and a strangely confused Cedric with a raised eyebrow.

They'd slip notes into the other's hand or robes in passing, and they'd exchange sly glances across rooms, and they'd sneak away during mealtimes, but never, _never_ did they tell a soul.

Harry didn't tell Hermione he'd continued seeing Cho.

Cho didn't tell Eri she'd begun to see Harry at all.

* * *

It was in the morning that one of their glance-competitions began – Harry sat with his back to the Ravenclaw table, and Cho sat with her back to the Gryffindor table – completely credulous and above suspicion.

When Harry took a his goblet of orange juice, and taking a gulp, casually turned to look at Cho, who was talking with some other girls, one of which spotted Harry peeking at Cho, consequently pointing it out to said girl.

And nobody ever suspected a thing.

Cho turned and smiled at Harry.

Harry smiled back – when something happened that hadn't happened before. Orange juice came spilling out of his mouth.

Cho stifled a giggle, but heard the giggles of her friends after. 'Shush!' she scolded, whipping around and defending the boy who now had orange juice dribbled over the front of his jumper. She turned to face Harry again, and offered him a smile. He was so _cute._

As she turned away, Cho realised that Cedric hardly ever made that sort of mistake. He'd never forget to wipe his chin, or walk out of the bathroom with his fly undone. It'd been great at first; she never had to stop her friends giggling at him – instead she had to slap them all to stop their swooning. But Harry did all sorts of silly little things, like taking a bite out of a cream bun and getting cream at the corner of his mouth and not noticing, or tripping over his own feet in the corridors, or walking into walls he'd thought were doors. And it always made her laugh.

He was just so _adorable._

Just the other day, they were about to leave a nice little nook on the first floor, and they were talking about bringing a couple of butterbeers for the next time.

'We should bring some sweets along next time,' she'd said, picking up her satchel from off the ground.

'Yeah,' said Harry, grinning and pushing his glasses further up, 'We should bring some butterbeer too.'

And then he stepped backward toward the door, grinning at Cho, turning and then walking right into the closed door.

She'd fallen over cacking herself over it, making Harry jump on top of her and press his hand against her mouth which refused to stop laughing.

Which had resulted in another hour or so in the cupboard.

Cho smiled to herself and bit at her toast.


	5. Seed of Suspicion

'Harry!' Cho squirmed away from him as best she could on her chair. 'Harry – stop it – people might see!'

Harry was leaning closer to her, a hand in her lap, and the other on the backrest of her chair while his lips sought hers, ignoring her unconvincing protests. 'So let them see.'

They were in the library together – only because Cho had been doing homework and Harry had joined her – on the condition that the only thing that would go on was study. So far, Harry had ignored it.

'_No!'_ she hissed, though she was smiling. 'Harry, no!' And she wasn't trying very hard to push him away. It was rather lucky she'd chosen a table in the back of the library, surrounded by bookcases. _'Later!'_

Harry let her lips escape and instead kissed her jaw. 'What, so _Ced_ can have you?' he asked, contemptuously smug. He flanked his chair beside hers and let his arms enclose her. 'Not likely.' His hand wandered up to her chest, but Cho caught his hand. He lifted his head. 'What?'

'_Move,'_ she said through her teeth. She kicked his shin. Hard. Tears welled up in Harry's eyes from the pain, and he doubled over, away from her. _'That Ced you're talking about…'_

'You aren't about to – arghh – defend him, are you?' ground Harry, his head near the desk as he rubbed his shin below.

'_Is right there,'_ said Cho out of the corner of her mouth. She jerked her head toward the only opening in the bookcases to the table.

Cedric was visibly walking toward it.

Harry swore under his breath before Cho handed him his quill.

'Follow my lead,' whispered Cho.

Harry nodded, his eyes still squinting from the pain. Cho was no doubt a girl, but bloody hell, she kicked harder than Dudley ever could.

'There you are,' whispered Cedric, kissing Cho's cheek and sitting on her other side. He spotted the boy beside her, and his eyes widened at who it was. 'Harry?'

Harry forced his lips to curve in acknowledgement and he nodded his head. 'Cedric.' He tried his hardest not to glare.

'Harry's just erm…' began Cho quietly, 'He's studying – er – with me…'

'Long time no see.' Cedric nodded, smiling and giving his hand to shake. 'It's great to have a girl with brains, Harry,' he said, grinning at Harry and then kissing Cho's temple. 'Believe me.'

A soft sound came from Cho – it sounded somewhere between a scoff and a laugh.

'Yeah,' said Harry through clenched teeth, another forced grin plastered on his face as he took Cedric's hand. 'Really – _really_ great.'

'Look, Ced,' said Cho suddenly, putting her quill down, 'I'm kind of trying to help Harry with Transfiguration.' She shrugged. 'I can't really do anything with such a _distraction_,' – she pressed her lips to Cedric's jaw – 'around. If there is, you'd better find another way to get Harry's Transfiguration marks up.'

Harry's eyes widened. Transfiguration? _Distractions?_ He felt something in his chest tighten at the sight of their flirting.

'Right, Harry?' said Cho, turning. She smiled at him simply.

Harry blinked – while Cho smiled at him earnestly, innocently – and then cleared his throat. 'Er, yeah, yeah. Absolutely.' He picked up his quill and nodded. 'I'm er – I'm – erm – terrible. Just – terrible. At er – Transfiguration…?'

Cedric sighed. 'Alright then,' he said, 'I'll leave you to it.' He kissed Cho's cheek again and after squeezing her hand, stood up and left.

When Cedric was visibly out of earshot, Harry roughly flipped open his textbook and harshly pulled his seat away from Cho's.

Sensing Harry's evident displeasure, Cho closed her eyes, sighing, and opened them again. Glancing at him and then back at her book, she said quietly, 'You're mad at me now.'

But Harry shook his head. 'No, no I'm perfectly fine,' he snapped, 'perfectly – perfect.' He scribbled something out of his notes so ferociously he made a large tear in the middle of his page; Harry swore beneath his breath.

Cho put down her quill and placed a hand on his other arm. 'You don't like seeing me with him, do you?' she asked softly. Her hand on his arm gently rubbed.

'Oh,' snorted Harry, 'No, no, of _course_ I do. You're lovely together, don't you think?'

Cho's hand reached to brush back a lock of hair in his face. 'I would do it if I knew it wouldn't hurt him so much, you know.'

'Meaning,' said Harry, 'You still care for him.'

Cho frowned at him. 'I'd still care for you even if I dumped _you._' She leaned over and rested her chin on his shoulder. 'I… I just have to time it right.'

'Is that time anytime soon?' asked Harry, trying to smile.

Cho didn't reply, but sighed and buried her face in Harry's shoulder, smiling.

* * *

'The way he duelled You-Know-Who last year,' said Cedric later on at dinner to Cho, 'I would've thought Harry was fine with his schoolwork.'

Cho nodded, quickly shovelling a load of mashed potato in her mouth to prevent herself from replying; after swallowing, she reached for her goblet of pumpkin juice.

Cedric grinned and put his own forkful of steak and kidney pie in his mouth. He chewed, and swallowing, he said jokingly, 'You don't fancy him – do you?'

The pumpkin juice went flying as she spluttered and coughed. 'N-no, he's – he's just erm – just a friend.' She put a napkin to her mouth, avoiding his eyes.

Cedric laughed, patting her back. 'Alright, alright, I'm just asking.' He kissed her temple. 'I'm not accusing you of anything.'

Cho's laugh died in her throat as she nodded, smiling.

_Liar, liar, pants on fire._

She did not eat much after that. Instead, she sat there, poking at her food and swapping her gaze between the boy beside her and the boy across the hall.

The former had a killer smile and was the all-around nice guy.

The latter had looked into the eyes of a killer and was unlike anyone she'd ever met.

Cho looked over at Cedric, chatting to Jordan Ingram.

He didn't need her. Wanted her, maybe. But he didn't need her.

Cedric had it all. He had the looks – Merlin _knew_ he had the looks – he was bright, he was – he was… He was perfect.

He had at least half of the female student body in swoons – whether they admitted it or not – he had the grades to be just about anything he liked, was fairly well-off in the financial department, and had never been particularly boring – he was funny; in a witty, charming sort of way, and he could conduct a substantial, intelligent conversation. All he lacked was the perfect girl.

And she was it.

She was the picture perfect accompaniment to his perfect world. She was beautiful – everyone knew, especially the ones who loathed her – she was as every bit talented as he was, if not even more so, she had an almost impeccable Quidditch record – the 'almost' compliments of Harry due to the fact that she'd only ever been beaten by him – and she was the social butterfly. She had friends just about everywhere, and was everyone's little darling.

Two of the most beautiful people at Hogwarts.

The poster-boy and poster-girl. The best of the social elite.

A match made in heaven.

Or was it?

Cho sometimes – no, quite often – grew weary of it all. The admiring gazes of onlookers as she and Cedric walked by hand in hand, the endless compliments of how good they looked together, the teasing her girlfriends often put her under for going out with Hufflepuff's resident heartthrob. It kind of sucked.

But it didn't justify her affair with Harry.

But then, why was it with _Harry_ she felt better? When they'd met, they'd hardly known each other, but there was that tingling in her spine that she'd never felt before then, and she was sure that Harry had felt something similar – it didn't really have to be a tingling, or even in the spine. With Harry, there were no limits, no – no smothering, no perfection.

Freedom.

It was freedom. She'd known it the moment she'd had a taste.

It was strange, though; this newfound freedom. Yes, yes it _was_ freedom, but then…

Why could she barely breathe whenever she thought of Harry? Why could she scarcely manage comprehendible speech when he crossed her mind? Why did her heart feel like it had just landed in a goblet of bubbly, sweet lemonade when she saw him – an airy, lightening feeling that was like being catapulted through wispy, somehow fizzing cloud? It was strange, new, foreign to her, but yet… It was not unpleasant. Not in the least.

And why had she never felt it with Cedric?

Cho had been sure there'd been _something_ with him, but… But…

She didn't always feel like she was walking on air with Harry. There wasn't always that euphoric wave. But there was something else – a contentment, an ease of some sort, like her anxieties had been lost somehow somewhere along the way. It was rather hard to describe. She just felt… Just… Just happy. That was there was to it. It was so simple, but somehow complicated. That night, she even lost sleep over it.

And she wasn't the only one.

* * *

Cedric was wide awake, trying in vain, tossing and turning, to sleep. He rolled onto one side, and when unsuccessful, turned to the other, but it was no use. He eventually lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling of his four-poster.

Thinking of Cho.

Ever since… Ever since that day on the train, she'd been less and less inclined to spend her time with him; to even talk to him. It seemed only when he cornered her with no other option would she give in. He scarcely walked her to class anymore, nor did she sit with him at dinner or lunch or even breakfast. Cedric could barely remember when they'd had a snog that lasted more than five seconds. Five second snogs probably didn't even _count_ as snogs.

_What__ the bloody hell was going on?_

He knew she was busy with her own schedule; he understood that, but never had she seemed to be so preoccupied that she couldn't so much as spare a chat in the corridor – after a quick kiss and a hello, she'd have some–some _excuse_ that she had to be somewhere else. Surely that couldn't be _all_ schoolwork that had her piled under. Perhaps maybe it was she was beginning her N.E.W.T. level subjects this year. No, not even that would take up every spare minute and moment of the day. Even if she _had_ received several Outstandings in her O.W.L's and was now taking several more subjects than most in her year. Cedric knew Cho. If she hadn't any time – she'd _make_ time. And that she was certainly not doing.

She even had to tutor Potter.

_Potter._

Potter?

No.

_No?_

_NO._

No. No, no and no.

_Just friends._

Yes, yes of course. They were simply friends. There was nothing wrong with that. The only thing was that Harry now had the privilege of spending time with Cho – even if it was only study.

_Wasn't it?_

* * *

'Doesn't Cedric ever wonder,' said Harry, 'about all this _time_ that you spend away? From him, I mean.' They were in a corner of an empty classroom – soundproofed and locked securely. It was a rather chilly afternoon – the winter weather seemed to be moving in fast, and they held close, Cho snug between Harry's arms.

'Do you care?' asked Cho, her face in Harry's chest, a hand clutching his shoulder.

Harry looked down. 'Strangely, yes.' He let his lips trace the crown of her head. His nose caught her scent – sweet and warm. 'Only out of mild interest, and because you're still his girlfriend.' There was no anger or inflection in his tone as he said the latter of the sentence. Harry didn't exactly enjoy the idea that Cho was still Cedric's girlfriend, but it didn't bother him as much as it first had. Harry knew she was his; she belonged to him. By God, he belonged to her. And he knew she wanted him. Spent more time with him than Cedric. And that was better.

'I suppose he does,' said Cho, sitting up, her hand sliding to Harry's stomach, 'But I don't think he's ever really been that suspicious.' She pressed her lips together. 'He trusts me.'

Harry raised his eyebrows and grinned. 'Should _I_?'

She thumped him. Hard.

But Harry only laughed, taking her slim wrist in his hand and pulling her close again. 'Only joking.' He kissed her forehead. 'How would he react, d'you suppose?' he asked, out of genuine curiosity. How _would_ the Hogwarts' nice and all-around great guy react to his girlfriend snogging someone else? He couldn't be anything _but_ curious. 'Would he… I dunno…' He shrugged. 'Would he go off his nut or anything?'

Cho sat up again, her brows creased. 'You know what?' she said, tilting her head and laughing, 'I've not the slightest idea!'

'I wonder if he'd try and knock me out by throwing the Triwizard Cup at my head,' said Harry.

Cho fell backward laughing.

'Or maybe he'd try and duel me or something,' continued Harry, following Cho to lie above her as she giggled, 'but that wouldn't do him any good. I mean, I'm already ugly, but see if something were to happen to _his_ face – see, that might present problems…'

She only laughed harder. It didn't occur to her that Harry had just about called Cedric a prettyboy. A useless prettyboy. Any time before her relationship with Harry, she would've pulled her wand out and sent a death glare so terrifying, it would have stripped a hippogriff clean of its fur and feathers. Maybe it didn't quite click in her head. Maybe she hadn't let it sink in yet.

Or maybe she just didn't care.


	6. Clash of the Boyfriends

'Mr. Diggory.'

Cedric was sitting near the back of the Ancient Runes class, again with his mind somewhere it shouldn't have been.

'Mr. Diggory.'

Maybe it… Maybe she… No, she couldn't… She wouldn't…

'Mr. Diggory.'

Her? And _Potter?_ No way.

'_Mr. Diggory!'_

Cedric looked up and blinked. 'E-er, present, sir.' No, she wouldn't do it. She wouldn't. Not now.

Not with Potter.

Certainly not Potter.

_Potter._

After class, as he walked through the corridors to the Great Hall, Cedric thought it over. Would Cho – _could _Cho be –

Jet-black hair. Distinctive spectacles.

The physical embodiment of his jealousy suddenly strode into the hall, a smug, ecstatic grin twisting his face. He sat down at his table, a little closer to the front than Cedric, his back to the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables.

Then Cedric spotted her. She practically danced in, giggling and smiling.

Alone.

She sat at her table, back to the Gryffindors, facing the wall adjacent the Ravenclaw table.

Ha, there. See? They couldn't _possibly_ be –

Cho turned. It wasn't some incredibly obvious, unambiguous sort of movement, but she turned – as if she were simply turning for the sake of turning – perhaps having a bit of a look around.

But then her gaze zoned in on a familiarly scrawny figure at the Gryffindor table.

Said figure warily turned, a visible smile for all to see.

Cedric clenched his goblet tighter; he was sitting at the Hufflepuff table, between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables, on Harry's right – who was turning to his left to smile at Cho – and Cedric could see every moment of it. All he had to do was look to the front. He peered closer.

Then Cho twiddled her fingers, and flashed him a smile – _that smile._ That smile that she reserved for him and _only_ him. _His smile._ She laughed a little bit, and then slowly, reluctantly turned away, as if tempted to look back.

Harry grinned like an idiot, and went back to his own plate of food.

Cedric's eyes were wider than the hams at Christmas. _Wait – wha – what the flying – what was – why did they – that was – what was __**THAT**__?! __**WHAT WAS THAT?!**_ His mental reaction was clearly visible on his face. He had the strongest urge march up to Potter and demand an answer, and maybe haul Cho over his shoulder and take her away to ravish her and have her all to himself.

But he restrained it, trying to comprehend the scene he'd just witnessed.

Until the end of lunch, anway.

* * *

'Potter!' Cedric sprinted to catch up to him, his grey eyes unusually fierce and his voice more hostile than he'd intended. 'Hey, Potter!'

Harry turned. His green eyes widened. 'Cedric.' _Oh, shit._

'Potter – I mean – Harry,' said Cedric, looking at the slightly shorter boy with an anxious gaze, 'Er – erm…' What was he to say? 'Er – how-how are you?' _"Hi, I'd just like to know whether you and my girlfriend have been shagging lately. Could you help me out?"_ Was the Head Boy – no, was _anyone_ permitted to ask that sort of question? Seriously?

Harry swallowed thickly, his eyes shifting to the side for a moment before replying with a dry, 'Spectacular.' What did _he_ want? Did he know? Had he found out?

Cedric nodded. 'Good, good…' He took in a breath, unaware of how large it was. 'Look, Potter – I mean, Harry – I erm… Well…' A flash of Cho pressed against a wall, willingly, moaning a name that wasn't his, and arching to someone else's touch. Cedric's brow creased, and his eyes were again a dangerous, silvery grey. 'Are you seeing Cho?' he asked brusquely, with an expression that could match any Quidditch rival glare.

Harry swallowed again. 'I – I –' Cedric's gaze bore into his own. What gave _him_ the right to say that? Oh, right. Silly question. But… Cho wasn't _Cedric's._ No law, document, rule or little bit of writing outlined that. Not a thing. Suddenly Harry was invigorated with something he'd never felt before. 'I don't know what you're talking about.' His own green gaze fought the grey.

Cedric responded in kind, the very same emotion coursing through him. 'Don't play dumb, Potter,' he said, with more hostility in his voice than he could ever recall, 'You know what I'm talking about. Are you seeing her?' His eyes narrowed. '_Behind_ my back?'

Harry held his head high. 'And what if I am?' It felt good, this surety – this confidence. 'So what?' What was the prettyboy going to do? Blow him to pieces in front of the entire student body that passed them by? Try, at least? He smirked inwardly, far too cockily. Cho had made it more than clear that it wasn't Cedric she wanted. So even if she was still the bloke's girl, Harry didn't care. Not when she wanted him in the end.

Cedric mentally flinched. Potter was actually admitting it. Not only that, but the damn bugger was _fighting back!_ Cedric's then-clenched fist relaxed. It didn't matter. Cho was his. Always would be. He could – _would_ fight for her, even if it was against Potter. Baby Potter, Gryffindor's golden boy – troublesome reputation aside. 'She's _my_ girlfriend,' said Cedric lowly, leaning down a little, 'She's _mine._' _He'd_ seen her first. _He'd _gotten to her first. What did baby Potter have that he didn't? 'Do I need to remind you?' he said, nearly spitting the words.

The two boys seemed inconspicuous enough in amongst the passerby students, "talking" as they were. But between them, the air seemed to twist, to tighten, like something pulled to the brink of snapping.

Harry scoffed. 'Not really.' His green eyes burned fiercely.

Cedric was again taken aback. He chuckled derisively, before growling, 'So back _off_.' His expression had turned to a cross between a glare and a sneer.

Harry laughed deprecatingly back. 'No.' He shook his head, not for a moment feeling uneasy or out of place. Cho felt something for him – really felt something, and he felt something back. There was no way he was giving that up – not for Cedric, not for anyone.

Cedric was disbelieving once more. Potter had some _nerve_. 'What?' he asked, unbelieving of the reply he'd gotten.

Harry shook his head, a smug smile on his face. 'I said no.'

Green clashed with grey.

'What do you mean _no?'_ asked Cedric, his eyes wide and the silver within flaring dangerously.

'I mean,' said Harry, hazardously brash, '_no._ I'm not going to just _give_ her to you.' _Not without a fight._ 'I'm not going to just roll over and let you take her.' _Like you did before._ Not that he'd known, but still. 'No means _no.'_

Cedric's temper was not known to flare up or snap like most others, but he had his limits. 'Look, _Potter,_' he said, spitting the name out, 'Cho is _my _girlfriend, whether you like it or not. Just bloody well sod off away from her. She's _mine_.'

'_She_ isn't a piece of pudding,' said Harry, laughing scornfully. It was no wonder prettyboys were considered so _useless_. 'And what makes you think she wants _you _anyway, _Diggory?'_

Cedric could barely think properly. No one, _no one_ had ever challenged him like that. No one had wanted to, no one had dared to. And here he was, the all around nice guy. But Potter wanted, _and_ dared. Blood was pounding his ears, and he saw red. 'Are you threatening me?' But Harry's green eyes glimmered with something that Cedric couldn't place.

'You know bloody well I am.'

* * *

Cho had been on her way to the library – to see Harry – when a familiarly strapping arm yanked her behind a tapestry. When she looked up, Cedric's grey eyes glittered back at her. She smiled, a little relieved it wasn't something worse. 'Cedric,' she said, laughing a little, 'What're you doing?'

'I should ask you the same question,' was Cedric's dark reply. The small nook behind the tapestry wasn't well lit, but Cedric's voice made the room seem even dimmer.

Cho swallowed, pressing her lips together. 'What d'you mean?' _Oh, please, please, please…_

'You know what I mean!' barked Cedric, unconsciously backing Cho against the stone wall and trapping her; his arms made sure she couldn't get away, leaning on the wall on either side of her. For a moment, he didn't look at her, but then his eyes met hers – they were fierce, but not dangerous. Not to Cho. 'You know what I mean,' he repeated, softer this time as his eyes searched hers.

Cho couldn't say a word as she tried to sink into the wall. Her mouth opened and closed as if she'd something to say, but then thought better of it right as she was about to say it. 'Cedric?' she said softly, her voice a whisper in the room.

'You… You-you…' It was an accusative tone at first, his worried eyes staring into hers, but then he began to mumble to himself, talking to himself, bowing his head and shaking. 'But… We… No…' His hands found their way around her to hold her close as he buried his face in her throat.

Cho heard him say, 'I love you,' more than once. She hadn't the heart to say it back. She didn't know whether she would mean it or not.

Didn't know if it she had ever meant it to begin with.

It was silent for a moment, then, 'I can't believe I didn't see it.'

Cho daren't move to look at Cedric's face. 'What?' she whispered, staring at the empty wall opposite her; Cedric had pressed his face against her hair.

'You and Harry,' said Cedric, 'All those late nights, those missed meals, the way I never saw you between classes – all with him, wasn't it? That tutoring – wasn't really tutoring, was it?'

Cho suddenly found her voice. 'If you're going to say it's over between us, then – '

'_NO__!'_

Cho baulked inwardly, the previous confidence gone. She had been so close, so _close_ to breaking it off! 'I… Cedric…' She stumbled on her words, her face against the shoulder he'd so unceremoniously pressed there when he'd drawn her close. Some small part of her knew she should've been apologising; saying sorry. But _was_ she? Was she sorry? Truly?

'I'm not going to just hand you over,' said Cedric suddenly. It was evident he was speaking to her, but it somehow seemed as if he was only speaking to himself. 'I want to convince you that you belong with me, but....' He drew his lips lower and gently bared them against her ear.

Cho could do nothing but nod. What had she _done_?

Cedric's hands took her by the waist and pushed her further up the wall; pinning her there. He dragged his lips to her neck, a hand already fiddling with her tie. 'I'm not going to let you run circles around me so easily anymore,' he said, kissing the soft hollow beneath her throat and softly scraping his teeth against her collarbone, his breath coming in hard, heavy pants.

'I know.' She didn't know whether she wanted it or not, but a part of her felt… Pity. Sympathetic to the boy holding her close and whispering in her ear how much he loved her. But she made no move to stop him. It was strange, how deeply lost he was in the web she'd unconsciously weaved. Cho began to wish he'd never loved her at all.

Because the more he did, the more he seemed to get hurt. And he'd never seem to give up. Not even now.

Not even as he undid the buttons of her shirt, or as he pushed up her skirt. As he pressed heated kisses upon her, let his hands caress her in the way that he thought he only had the right, and kissed her lips as if he were a thirsty man and they were water. As he made love to her, there against the wall – as if he concentrated on trying to make her understand what he could give her, what she could have if she was his again. As she arched against him, however much she tried to help it, she let out a soft cry of pleasure that Cedric knew should have been his name, but was not.

Though Cho had managed to stop herself from saying any particular name at all, in that moment, she knew whose name she'd almost said; the one written on her heart.

_Harry._

Not even when she collapsed against him, spent and exhausted, did he give in. He continued to run his hands across her skin, attempting to soothe, to calm, like he once had. But it only made her nerves toss and turn. Never did he give up trying to make her see, to convince her to turn to him again.

Because Cedric Diggory had never had anything so precious and dear to his heart as Cho Chang. And if he didn't do something soon…

He would lose her.

_Forever._

* * *

'A Christmas Ball?' repeated Ron incredulously. '_A bloody Christmas BALL?!'_ His shoulders slumped and his mouth twisted scornfully. 'They've got to be joking…'

''Fraid not baby Ronniekins,' laughed Fred from further down the table, sitting beside Angelina Johnson. 'Looks like you've got to get a date – wonder who'd be desperate enough to go with you…'

A few sniggers went around the table.

Ron glared. 'Oh, shut up.' He put his fork down. 'Who're you takin' then?'

Fred shrugged and turned to Angelina. 'Want to go?'

Angelina seemed to consider it for a moment – all the while with a smile on her face – and then she nodded. 'Alright then.'

Fred winked at Ron, who turned to Harry. 'What about you?'

Harry froze. 'Er… I erm…' _Maybe… Just maybe…_ 'I dunno.' He turned around to see Cho sitting at her table – she was red in the face. And it wasn't the sort of red that came from a sweet blush. She looked as if she were afraid to move, afraid to do anything at all. Harry felt his heart tug; he wanted to go over to her and press her against his shoulder –

Cedric was beside her.

Harry gripped his fork harder, the metal somehow suddenly cold in his fingers. Diggory was taking action _already? _Harry turned away, his breathing heavy and his mouth twisted in a pensive, angry line. What if he'd already asked her to the Ball? He carefully peeked over his shoulder again – to see Cedric with an arm around Cho, staring right back at him. His expression – still uncannily handsome – was not a smile, nor was it a frown, but a more self-satisfied sneer that seemed to say, _'What now, Potter?'_

Potter did not enjoy the rest of his lunch at all.


	7. Fight Back

'He knows.'

'I know.'

'…'

Harry had thought he'd something to say to Cho – nothing unpleasant, but he'd been so confident that he could convince her to tell Cedric to sod off, and if he was lucky, perhaps give him the finger.

They could barely speak at all.

'Look,' said Harry, standing up from the edge of the desk he'd been leaning on and stepping toward Cho who was sitting opposite him in a chair, 'I don't care. I don't care if he knows, and I don't care if he points his wand at my throat.' He knelt down to see her eye-to-eye. 'I'm not giving in.'

Harry's heart skipped a beat when he thought he saw a twitch of her lips.

'Are you sure?' she said, her gaze on the hands in her lap. 'Are you sure you want to go head to head with him?' She snorted. 'Over _me_?' He didn't have to. She would understand if he backed away here and now and renounced her. But it didn't mean she wanted him to.

Cedric may have been a prettyboy, and he may have been a good guy, but every guy had his limits. She knew that – _Cedric _knew that well enough. Cho didn't want Harry getting into something over his head.

Harry seemed to find something funny. 'Over you?' he said, laughing, 'No, over _Malfoy._' His lips twisted wryly. 'Of course over you.'

Cho refrained from asking whether she was worth the trouble. 'Harry…' was all she could say. She sighed, and lifted her gaze to meet his – green, bright and blazing. 'You can just – … You don't have to…' Cho pressed her lips together. 'I don't want you making a big deal out of all of,' she gestured with her hands, 'this. This crap – between you and Cedric.' A part of her that admittedly began to get louder as she thought screamed that she wanted him to. Wanted Harry to fight, to retaliate against Cedric, against the odds that were so unfavourably against them. But her mouth did not so much as twitch.

Harry fought not to take her by the shoulders and show her exactly what _"crap"_ he was going to fight over. 'You can make your decision,' he said instead, quietly. 'Right now. You can choose.' Damn, it hurt. 'Me or Cedric. Up to you.'

But Cho shook her head, putting a hand on his arm. 'No, no Harry, please don't put it like that. Don't put me in that position…' she pleaded, capturing his eyes with her own. 'I don't want to hurt either of you like that…' The backs of her eyes stung. 'I just need some time to… To think it over…'

Harry felt a strange tightening in his chest and an odd franticness within his body. She looked like she was about to cry. 'Cho?' he asked, his voice weaker than he'd ever heard it. 'Cho? Oh – no, no…' He didn't know what to say – she was sniffling very quietly now, but he was no fool. 'No, no don't… Please don't cry.' What else was he to say? And that bloody tightening wasn't stopping. It was like somebody had decided to play with his heart like Muggle Play-Doh. His hands twitched with the need to touch her – to soothe her somehow. A gleaming tear rolled down one of her cheeks.

And his heart broke in two.

'Oh – Cho… No, no, don't cry,' he implored, reaching for one of her hands, 'Please-please stop.' It was making his heart hurt. 'Cho?' He tried to look into her eyes, but she turned away.

'Oh, piss…' she muttered, sniffling and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. 'See what you do to me?' she said on a shaky laugh.

Harry smiled back weakly. He drew her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. So what if she had to decide which heart she'd break?

All the more reason for him to try and convince her that it shouldn't be his.

'Are… Are you…' he began as Cho dried her tears. Harry's mouth went dry trying to form the words. He'd never done this before. 'D'you-d'you-… W-would you…' He was looking more and more stupid by the minute.

'Hm?' Cho looked up, her eyes a little red and swollen, but still somehow very pretty. 'What?'

'Waochrismaballwimee?'

Cho stifled a laugh. 'Sorry Harry, didn't quite catch that.'

Harry laughed nervously and swallowed. 'Er…' He cleared his throat, and tried again. Maybe if he spoke up a little. But it was worse.

'IWASWONDRINGIFYOUWANEDOOGOTOTHBALLWIME.'

Cho couldn't help her giggling this time. '_What?_' She smiled at Harry as he muttered angrily to himself. 'Harry, what is it? Just tell me.'

Harry spat it out. 'D'you want to – er – d'you want to go – I was just wondering – to the Ball. With… me…?'

Cho's smile faded. 'Oh.'

Harry swore inwardly. He _knew_ he should've made it more romantic.

'Oh,' she said again, her lips twisting in not quite a frown, 'Erm…' Cho moistened her lips. 'Harry, I-… I've already been asked.' She knew he wasn't going to like who had asked. 'By… By Cedric.'

Harry groaned. 'I knew it.'

'No!' said Cho, 'No, it isn't that I wanted to go with him more than you or anything…' She shrugged. 'It's just… I might owe this one to him, y'know? I think I have to give him that much, at least.' She offered a smile. 'If you're going to wage a war with him, he's bound to snatch his chance – and he did.' Her mouth tugged in one corner as she shrugged innocently. 'You'd have to impress me with your dancing anyway.'

Harry's face fell so far it could have been days before he smiled again.

Whereupon Cho giggled and pounced on him, causing them both to fall backward to the floor.

'…My glasses.'

A soft giggle was muffled into Harry's robes. 'Sorry.'

'Hiya Harry,' said Hermione as he came to sit by her in the library. She saw his frown. 'What's the matter?'

Harry shook his head, heaving his books out. 'Nothing.'

Hermione's eyes softened. She'd known him since their first day at Hogwarts – she knew him as well as anyone else really could. 'You're not a very good liar, Harry.' She didn't put her quill down, but her gaze remained steady. 'Come on then, spit it out.'

Harry looked at her out of the corner of his eye and sighed. 'Y'know how Cho and I – well, y'know…' Graphic descriptions of that nature were not what Hermione liked to hear.

'Yes.'

Harry sank into his seat. 'Well… It's er – been happening a lot – lately.'

Hermione narrowed her eyes as she frowned. 'Yes, so wha – _no!' _Her brown eyes widened to the size of teacups as it dawned on her. 'Harry, _no!_' It wasn't that she was jealous – goodness, no – but it was – this was – it was – it wasn't right! 'I _told _you about Cedric – and _what_ do you go off doing? _Snogging the lips off of his GIRLFRIEND!'_ she hissed. Harry could be _such_ a boy. 'You don't just _do that!_ You can't! It's unfair, immoral, out of the question – '

'Hermione,' Harry hissed back, '_Shhh!!!'_ He gestured with his hands. 'Keep it down!'

Hermione slapped her quill onto the top of the desk. 'I will _not_ keep it down!' So he'd fancied Cho. Okay, fine. But she had a _boyfriend._ It was so – _so _– wrong! 'Couldn't you have just _waited _till they reached Splitsville?'

Harry stared blankly at her as if she'd been talking troll. 'No.'

Hermione, brimming with exasperation and frustration, let out a groan. She shook her head, her bushy hair growing ever bushier, and attempted to resume her studies. 'You're lucky if Cedric doesn't find out.'

'Yeah, about that…'

Less than half a minute later, a piercing scream echoed in the library.

'_**YOU WHAT?!'**_

'Cho!' Cedric called her name as she walked by.

She turned. 'Cedric,' she said softly, 'hey.'

'Hey, look…' He gently took her elbow and led her aside. 'About this morning…'

'No,' said Cho, shaking her head and offering a smile, 'No, don't worry about it. It's fine.'

But Cedric shook his head back. '_No,_' he said, 'it's not fine. I – I just _forced_ myself onto you, and-and I didn't give you any choice, or-or let you say no, and I – ' He sighed, his grey eyes tender and full of remorse. 'I'm so sorry.'

Cho's lips trembled. His eyes were so sincere – they always had been. What else could she have said? 'No, Cedric,' she said, looking up at her boyfriend, 'Don't think of it like that – I'm the one who should be sorry.' She'd gone behind his back and given in to her heart. She'd betrayed his trust, wounded him deeper than she knew. 'It's my fault you acted like that.' _Given in to her heart. _

Was it really as bad as it seemed?

'No – look – alright, fine. Let me make it up to you.' Before she could reply, he added, 'And I'm not taking no for an answer.' He smiled, but suddenly groaned. 'Oh, bugger – I didn't even ask you properly to the Ball, did I?'

Cho smiled feebly. No, he hadn't. He cornered her and demanded to know whether she had said yes to anybody else and had simply stated that regardless of whether she had, she was going with him. He'd seemed very angry – perhaps he'd encountered Harry earlier. 'I don't mind.' She owed it to him – even if she _was_ going to be staring at someone else all night. But she'd try to give Cedric what he wanted – what he yearned for. 'I have Defence Against the Dark Arts – I have to go.' She turned to leave, but Cedric's voice halted her.

'Darling?'

Cho turned, and was met with Cedric's chest. She looked up – he looked down at her, grey eyes warm and tender. And then she felt his lips, his mouth against hers and she couldn't find it in her to pull away.

He'd begun calling her darling again.

Because to Cedric, she always would be.

But he didn't know she was now someone else's.

He didn't know how deep Harry's affection ran.

But he would find out.

'Have you got a date yet, Harry?' asked Ron as they walked to the common room.

A picture of Cho flashed in Harry's mind. 'No.' He shook his head. 'Not yet.'

Ron sighed in relief. 'Oh, good.'

Harry frowned. 'What?'

'Well – no, it's not good you don't have a date – but I mean – because I don't have one either – '

Harry slowly leaned away. 'Er…'

'No, no, I meant that I'm not the only bloke without a date – I won't look too pathetic.'

Harry nodded slowly. 'Riiight.'

'You know what I mean,' said Ron, grinning. 'Got any er – prospects?'

In his head, Harry briefly debated with himself whether to tell Ron about his erm – liaison was no longer the correct word – _relationship_ with Cho. Argh, to hell with it. He was bound to find out anyway. As was the entire student body. 'Well – did Hermione tell you I had a erm – a date with Cho at the pitch a couple of months ago…'

When Harry had finished, Ron was in disbelief.

'Mate, you're my idol.'

'Yeah, with a stinking prettyboy on my tail.'

'And a hot girl in your lap!'

'Shut up, Ron.'

'Mm – Harry – '

His hands were underneath her top, fondly caressing the skin that emanated such delectable warmth. He liked it when she said his name. Loved the way she said it. As if it held some sort of relief, or perhaps furthered her ecstasy.

He craved these moments with Cho, these stolen, enamoured moments, where he could show her, _tell_ her just how much he felt for her.

It was unmistakeable the way she responded to his touch, arching and writhing against him – still in clothing, of course.

She moaned again; his mouth was hot and open on her throat. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, letting him do what he would. Cho loved it when they were together like this, where nothing else mattered, where they could be who they really were. She gasped as she felt his hand lightly trace the edge of her bra. 'Harry,' she managed to gasp. She tugged on his hair. 'Harry.'

He lifted his head, panting, his eyes filled with something so profound Cho lost herself in them for a moment. 'What is it?' he asked, pressing his forehead against hers.

Cho swallowed, aware of the heady scent of him filling her lungs. 'You don't have to – you know. We don't have to rush into it.' She was no virgin, but considering the fact that he'd only learned to kiss a few months ago, she doubted he'd ever even seen a girl naked. He was eager enough, for sure, but she didn't want to run headlong into something they'd regret.

Kind of like what she'd done with Cedric. Whirlwind romance, and before she knew it, she was being shagged in the Astronomy Tower at least once a week.

And here she was, with a different boy.

She didn't want it to be like that with Harry; to push for everything they didn't have, to do it all at once and then regret it.

Harry blinked, and then took a deep breath, smiling and kissing her softly. 'No rush,' he whispered against her mouth.


	8. Mull It Over

The days before the Ball flew by, though not quickly enough for Cho. She, unlike her girlfriends, wanted the Ball to be over as quickly, and as painlessly, as possible. For a whole two weeks now did she have to survive Harry and Cedric's antics over her – and she supposed she should've been flattered, felt good about herself that two of the most sought after boys in school wanted her – but for some reason, she didn't. She didn't like it at all. It hurt to be torn between the two boys who both had something the other did not; the two boys who wanted her most. They both held a part of her that she'd never be able to give to anybody else – so which should she choose? She knew that if she picked either of them, she'd end up hurting the other. And it pained her to see the jealousy, the torment they both went through when they saw the other with her. She cared for them both, that much was certain, and up until a couple of weeks ago, she was sure who she wanted.

Now she wasn't so sure.

Aside from school, Cho spent her days being torn apart by Harry and Cedric, the latter of whom had wormed his way back into her affections, the playful lust he'd shown only weeks ago suddenly gone. He'd held her, talked to her the way he had used to, a heartbreaking mix of concern and love – and it had confused Cho. On one hand, she had Cedric Diggory, who could give her everything any other girl would want; charm, gifts, romance – but he couldn't, or at least so far had not able to, give her what _she_ really wanted. Despite it, Cedric never stopped trying to, never stopped lavishing his affections upon her one way or another. On the other hand was Harry Potter, who could give her what she wanted – _and_ what she needed. He was many things Cedric was not, and he was brash, headstrong, and passionate – but at the same time, his soul remained wounded, a tranquil depth of quiet, scarred by events she could only imagine, his mind a labyrinth, his heart a treasure she had somehow managed to deserve – he often let her in, let her see what truly lay inside him. She knew his innermost thoughts, his wonders, and what he held in his heart. Cedric could sing his undying love for her in a flawless baritone, but he had never done that. He'd professed his feelings on more than one occasion, but he'd never let her see the real him – the one inside that had as many flaws as it did perfections. He had never let her see his vulnerabilities, his weaknesses.

Harry had. He might not have been able to charm her with sweet whispers, or write passionate love letters, but he could give her so much more. He would speak with utter honesty, touch her as if she might vanish, hold her in his arms as if he never wanted to let go. There was something inside him that Cho had never seen in anyone else, not even Cedric.

And still, Cho was torn.

When the boys were in a room together, especially with her, there was an unspoken iciness, a near hatred, a twisting, turning, undying tension between them. It made it so awkward for her – she was almost always unsure who to speak for, what to say, to do.

It happened in one of the days before the Ball, and while other girls raced around trying to find the perfect accessories to match their Ball dresses, she sat in the library, studying.

Alone.

Until Harry came through the library doors, smiling at her. His grin eased something inside her, soothed her knot of restless emotions. He walked towards her – and tripped over a chair leg.

Cho burst out laughing as he attempted a quick recovery and slid into the seat beside her.

'There's no cool way to recover from that, is there?' he asked, kissing her cheek.

Cho shook her head, still laughing. 'Nope.' She felt his arms wind about her, his lips on the soft spot beneath her ear. 'Harry…' She giggled, but she tried to pull away. 'Harry – I'm studying.' But her attempts to push him away were weak – she didn't mean it at all. She _wanted_ him to continue, but –

Oh, no.

Oh, _no._

Cho's eyes widened, and suddenly she was painfully aware of the pink in her face. 'Harry…' she whispered, almost as if she were afraid. 'Harry, stop.' Her voice was weak, her words trembled.

Alarmed, Harry lifted his head and cupped her face with a hand. 'What is it?' he asked, his green eyes alert, but unceasingly tender. 'Sweetheart, what's wrong?' He searched her face, but her gaze was downward, at the floor. Stroking her cheek, he kissed her temple.

'Cho!' called an agonizingly familiar voice.

Harry looked where Cho would not. Oh, _sod it._

The prettyboy was strutting his way through the library.

Cedric strode to where they sat, and pulled out the chair on Cho's other side.

'Darling,' he said, kissing Cho's cheek in full view of Harry – purposely ignoring him. 'Hey, about the Ball…' He was sure to say it loud enough for Harry to hear. 'Do you want me to get you from Ravenclaw Tower, or do you want to meet somewhere else?' He tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling with the grin she'd always loved.

But she was rubbing her hands in her lap, staring down at them as if they might speak to her.

'Darling?' he pressed, wanting to tilt her chin to look at him. Why was she being so quiet? So distant? He spared a distasteful glance at Harry on her other side. 'Oh. You.'

Harry stifled a snigger. 'Diggory.' He'd seen the response on Cedric's face when Cho hadn't replied, hadn't spoken or reacted. To Harry's shock, it wasn't the smugness that was making him laugh. Diggory's face had genuinely been funny. Normally, Harry would have found it extremely satisfying to see Cedric quite virtually ignored by Cho – rejected, almost, in comparison to the way _he'd_ been able to make her smile.

Cho closed her eyes briefly, and then sighed. 'Just meet me in the Entrance Hall,' she said quietly, continuing to fiddle with her hands – Cedric's own covered them, and with his strength, stilling them. Restricting them. Forcing them.

'As you wish.'

She didn't look, but he rose, and she sensed him pause, and then suddenly he was kissing her full on the mouth. Cho backed against her chair in surprise, her eyes opening for a moment. She felt his lips move against hers in eager, almost desperate, gulps, his tongue attempting to part her lips, seeking. She didn't budge. And then he pulled away – she touched her lips, and right before she saw his leering smile, smug and mighty, at Harry beside her, she saw fleeting looks of disappointment and distress in his eyes. She felt him kiss the top of her head and then heard him whisper, 'I love you.'

All she could muster was a whimper.

Harry watched Cedric's face – he'd heard what he'd whispered, and Cho hadn't quite given the most favourable answer. He watched Cedric go, smiling that smile that so many girls had fallen prey to – Cho attempted to smile back, but it was a feeble effort.

When Cedric was gone, Harry remained silent, staring, watching Cho's face. It was blank, but somehow pained; her eyes were lost, but held an ocean's worth of something Harry could only describe as unhappiness. After a moment, he dared to touch her hands, gently, with his fingertips. 'Cho?' he asked, his fingers rubbing softly. 'Are – are you… Alright?' Harry swallowed, letting out a breath, continuing the gentle, tender motions on her hands.

'Hm? Oh – yeah, I'm okay.'

And Harry felt his heart ache in his chest. She had turned to face him; there was something about her face that made him want to cry. Made him want to crush her to his chest, hold her dear so that she'd never feel so lost again. His heart lodged in his throat, his eyes burning. 'No,' he said, shaking his head like a child, 'no, you're not.' She wasn't okay. He knew it. 'You're hurt, and you're sad.' The words flew out before he could help himself. 'You're not okay, Cho. Don't give me that bollocks – I know you aren't.'

Cho frowned a little, tilting her head. She suddenly looked down into her lap. His hands were warm. 'You're trembling.' She took his hands in her own and looked up, touching his face. 'Harry,' she whispered, leaning closer and brushing her cheek against his. She cupped his face, finding pain and undying tenderness in his eyes. She kissed him softly and then pulled away, but kept her face close. Cho felt tears gather at the corner of her eyes. Damn, he had a habit of doing that to her.

'I love you,' said Harry, his voice as if he were even afraid to whisper the words, slowly remembering Cedric whisper them to her only moments before. 'You know that, right?'

Through her tears, Cho smiled shakily. 'Yeah.'

_I love you too._

* * *

Later, underneath a tree by the lake, Cho lay against Harry, pressing her face into his neck so that he wouldn't see the trouble in her eyes, desperately holding back tears that threatened to soak his neck.

But he knew.

Harry stroked her hair, gently cradling her against his chest. He hadn't thought of how badly Cho had been affected by the competition – just a little while ago had he seen the misery she was being put through. All because she had to deal with two boys who wanted her, had to eventually decide which one she wanted to be with. He supposed that there might've been some unsettlement in the beginning, but he hadn't imagined she'd be so upset, so agonised over it all. 'I… I love you,' he said again, hoping to alleviate some pain with the truth of his words.

Cho nuzzled closer. 'I know.' Should she say it? Even if she truly meant it? Would it make him think his chances were higher than Cedric's – what if she picked _him_ instead of Harry? What would Harry think then, her having said she'd loved him and choosing Cedric?

But what if she chose Harry?


	9. Fists And Wands May Break My Bones

The evening of the Ball, Cho lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling of the four-poster. She should've been downstairs, dressed in the silk creation sitting so neatly, so innocently at the foot of her bed.

She didn't even feel like going.

All Cho wanted to do was to curl up beneath her covers, and sleep. Preferably with someone beside her. Holding her, even. Someone with jet-black hair and –

'What the hell are you doing?'

Cho didn't need to look to know whose voice it was; Eri Lee, her best friend since first year. 'Thinking.' She heard Eri trudge toward her, and was suddenly being pulled up.

'Accessorise now, think later,' groaned Eri as she yanked on Cho's arm, pulling her into a sitting position. 'Cho, come _on._ Cedric's going to be waiting for you.'

Cho felt a small stab in her throat. Oh. Right. Cedric.

'He's not going to be happy if you're late,' said Eri, marching over to pick up her best friend's undeniably gorgeous dress – she herself was already half ready, and she usually took a bang lot longer than Cho did. She thrust it into Cho's limp arms. 'Dress. Now.'

'Didn't you tell me that it was a girl's privilege to be late?' asked Cho dryly, fingers grazing her forehead, face scrunched in slight agitation as Eri continued to attempt putting the dress in her arms.

'Not when it's the social event of the school year. Now get dressed!'

Cho took the dress and held it for a moment, thinking. She felt her chest tighten. 'I don't feel like going,' she said quietly, looking down at the floor. She didn't know if she could spend the night twirling and dancing and smiling in one boy's arms and thinking about another all the while. She'd be so torn, trying to enjoy herself with Cedric, knowing she'd see Harry and constantly be distracted.

Eri froze; slowly turned to face her friend. 'What?' she asked, disbelief colouring her words like dye. 'What do you _mean_ you don't feel like going? Why not?'

Cho made a face. 'You know why.'

Eri made her own. 'Er, no, 'fraid I don't Cho.'

Cho's eyes widened and she suddenly pressed her lips together. Oooh, _shit_. She still hadn't told Eri about Harry. And looking at her face now, it looked like Cedric hadn't told her either.

Eri raised a perfectly plucked brow. 'Well, Miss-Pretty-Little-Perfect?'

Cho swallowed, and she shook her head. 'No – no, nothing. Nothing.'

Eri narrowed her eyes. 'You aren't telling me something. What is it?'

'Nothing.'

'Yeah, and Snape is the nicest teacher we have.'

'It's nothing. Really.'

'I don't believe you.' Eri frowned and sat beside her friend. 'Cho, what is it? Come on, I'm your best friend. Talk to me.'

Cho licked her lips and sighing, she put her dress aside. Closing her eyes, she told Eri about Harry; about how she had to choose between him and Cedric – how they were competing for her.

Fifteen minutes later...

'This is just like a movie!' squealed Eri.

'A what?' asked Cho, exasperated and clearly irritated.

'A _movie_,' repeated Eri. This was one of the major drawbacks of being Muggle-born. Your magical friends don't have a flying clue what you're on about. She shook her head. 'Never mind – so what are you going to do?'

'If I knew, I would've done it by now.'

* * *

'Hiya Harry!' said one Parvati Patil, beaming at the bottom of the steps in the Entrance Hall next to her sister. 'You look really good!'

Harry nodded. 'Er – you look – erm – good – too.' Her and her sister Padma were the best-looking girls in their year, but to Harry, nobody could put a candle up to Cho. Less than a week before, he'd managed to ask Parvati to the Ball – and call in a favour from her sister.

'So,' Parvati said, peering over Harry's shoulder, 'Where's Ron?' She motioned to her twin sister beside her.

'Er – he's er – on his way,' said Harry, pushing back his glasses. He looked at Padma. 'D'you – er - want us to wait with you – or are you right to wait on your own?'

Padma smiled weakly. 'Oh – do you mind waiting? I don't want to be standing here alone.'

'No!' laughed her twin brightly. 'Of course not! We'll wait! Right Harry?' She sidled up to him and took his arm.

Harry had a curious urge to pull it away. 'Well – yeah. Sure.'

Padma beamed, but suddenly her twin's jaw dropped as she turned to face the steps.

'Oh my God...' Parvati gasped. 'She looks beautiful!'

Harry, raising a brow curiously, turned.

And saw.

Cho sighed, coming down the steps. Down at the bottom was Harry – with Parvati and Padma Patil. Dressed in rather dashing dress-robes, he stared up at her, his mouth hanging a little. Cho stifled a giggle. Further up the Hall, stood Cedric. He was Prince Charming, in the flesh.

Blond hair in gentle waves, his robes tailored to the perfect inch, tall and dashing, his shoulders broad, his jaw square and cheekbones perfect. He looked up at her, his lips curving in a brilliant smile that put bleach to shame, his grey eyes shining. He walked toward the foot of the stairs, his strides long and purposeful.

Cho's hand slid down the rail and into Cedric's hand.

'You look beautiful,' said Cedric, taking her hand in his and leading her down the last step. _This_ was what it was supposed to be like; they were perfect together. He put her hand on his arm and they slowly walked to the hall.

Cho couldn't help the fleeting, sidelong glance at Harry – he was gazing at her so intensely, but so tenderly, it made her heart ache. She smiled softly at him, a small flame of yearning inside of her burning. But suddenly Cedric's hand gently touched hers. Cho looked up at him; his eyes were different, softer somehow.

'Are you alright?' he whispered, the corners of his eyes crinkling with concern.

Cho nodded, smiling. 'Yeah, I'm fine.' Maybe she could do this. 'I'm fine.'

Harry watched the pair walk in, arm in arm, together – something in his chest reared up, fighting desperately to go after them, to wrap his arms around Cho and never let her go. He growled inwardly with the force of it.

'Are you alright, Harry?' came a voice. Harry indistinctly realised it was Parvati. 'Harry?'

'Oh – er – yeah, yeah.' Harry swallowed, the tightness in his chest unfading and relentless. 'I'm okay.'

Yeah, right.

'If the older students would like to take the floor first?' suggested Dumbledore, motioning to the large marble tiles resembling ice in the centre of the snow-white, icicle-infested hall.

If anyone was eager to dance, it seemed it was Cedric. Taking Cho's hand a little too keenly, he led her to the centre of the floor and held her to him, locking his silvery gaze – highlighted by the lighting in the icy hall – on Cho's warm, slightly confused one. He would play his hand well tonight – she had practically been handed to him on a platter. All he needed to do was to play his cards.

Cho was swept into a waltz around the floor, twirling, guided effortlessly by Cedric. She had forgotten how smooth he was on the dance floor; was amazed at how much grace he could command himself with. He was just looking at her so intensely, she felt... Intimidated. His lids were a little hooded, making him seem darker, more severe, and the way he held her was as if he felt instinctively she was going to run away.

* * *

Harry sat slumped in his seat, arms folded, eyes following every movement of the undeniably handsome couple flowing elegantly across the floor.

'Harry!' beamed Parvati brightly, tugging on his arm. When he didn't respond, Parvati shook his shoulder. 'Harry!!'

He was jolted out of his stupor; he had been focusing on Cho – she hadn't looked like she was enjoying herself, or at the very least looked comfortable, but she was trying hard to seem so. He swallowed thickly as he spotted Diggory's intent gaze on her. Harry blinked before turning to Parvati. 'What?'

'Are we going to dance?'

'I – er...' He didn't dance. No way. 'Erm...' The only way the world would ever be witness to his footwork on a dance floor would be if he was dancing with Cho – and she had to promise not to laugh. 'I don't er – I don't really dance, sorry.'

'You're joking!' gasped Parvati as her twin sister, sitting two seats away beside Ron, both looking horribly miserable, sent her a look that said, 'HELP ME!!! WHY DID YOU SET ME UP WITH THIS LOSER?!?!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!?!' Parvati sent a fleeting apologetic glance back at her sister; she couldn't help it if gorgeous Harry Potter had only one male best mate who wasn't quite as good eye candy as he was. 'I can teach you, if you like!' she offered.

Harry's eyes nearly popped out from behind his glasses. 'Oh – oh er – n-no th-thanks. I'm-I'm right...' He saw Parvati's face fall, but she tried to look as if it was alright. Suddenly, he saw Parvati's face twist into one of slight curiosity as she looked a little beyond him.

'Harry.'

He looked to the voice – Cho smiled softly back at him. 'D'you want to dance, at all?' she asked.

Harry nodded furiously. 'Yeah – yes – absolutely – love to.' He was on his feet in an instant, but he managed to miss Parvati's face of pure astonishment and horror.

'I find it my duty to warn you,' said Harry as he watched his feet and wound his arms around Cho's waist; the latter being something he was rather good at, 'that you should be prepared for at least several sore toes tonight.'

Cho smiled. 'I'd be disappointed if I got anything less.' She adjusted her hand on Harry's shoulder, stepping closer and considering her new dance partner closely. Pronounced jaw; angular, somewhat squarish, a boyish though unashamed grin, ridiculously finger-runnable hair, strong facial bone structure, and of course the unforgettable sparkling green eyes. Cho didn't want to imagine what it would look like if she broke his heart. Which brought her to say, 'I suppose you're wondering where Cedric is.'

Harry looked up, blinking, a little surprised but smiling. 'No, actually.' His smile grew broader as he sighed. 'I was just... I wasn't really thinking about him, you know?'

Harry's eyes seemed to take on a flash so tender, Cho felt her knees beginning to buckle. 'So – so what were you thinking about?' she managed, trying playfully to hear his thoughts.

'You.'

'Oh.'

'I apologise for my bluntness, but does that really shock you or are you trying to make me feel better?' chuckled Harry, subtle shades of red beginning to peep on his cheekbones as he looked down again at his feet; more out of embarrassment than anything.

Cho felt herself smile. 'Actually – '

'Might I cut in?'

Both Harry and Cho whipped their heads in the direction of the voice; both having the same sinking feeling in their chests as they pulled away. They turned to see Cedric, smiling wryly, almost cynically at them.

'Stealing my date, Potter?' he laughed, but the unpleasantness seeped through too easily.

'Cedric...' pleaded Cho softly, though not looking directly at him, rather at the floor. She hated this side of him; the brutish, darker part of him that only ever surfaced in severe, deep anger, or anxiety. He'd never hit her or hurt her, goodness no, but he would grow more severe, his movements taking on a stronger, more restricting air, and his voice grew a desperate edginess to accompany his shifty mood.

'No, no,' sighed Harry, shaking his head as he spared a glance at the seemingly helpless Cho. 'Just having a chat.' He put his hands up in mock surrender.

'I suppose "a chat" would involve you all over her, then?' scoffed Cedric dryly, stepping closer. Potter was far out of line – tonight was _his_ night. He was supposed to win Cho over tonight, and here baby Potter was, hands sliding all over Cho's backside!

'Cedric, don't,' said Cho, her brows knitted. She put a hand on his arm, and another on Harry's. 'Don't.'

Harry felt the shaky touch of her hand, though she seemed to tighten her grip on his arm. 'I don't feel like ruining anyone's night, anyway.' He smiled at Cho and reached to cover her hand, when she was abruptly pulled away by Cedric, roughly holding her to his side.

'He's got his greasy hands all over your arse – and I'm supposed to let it slide?!' barked Cedric at Cho, half laughing, half disbelieving, winding his arm protectively around her. Why was it that Cho simply couldn't understand that Potter only wanted her because she was the best-looking girl in school? That he only wanted her for shallow desires? He suddenly released his hold on Cho, and stepped toward Harry. 'She might not see through your golden boy facade Potter, but rest assured, I can read you like a book.'

Students were beginning to look over now, pointing and daring to wander closer. Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter, at wand's end all for Cho Chang. It was serious material.

'I'm sure,' said Harry brightly. 'But I'm going to follow through with that "facade" and be the nice guy instead of you for once, and back off.' His tone was mocking, but Harry only wanted this whole parade of rubbish to end for Cho. One look at her and Harry knew that she was emotionally being torn in two; another look and he could see she was practically being tortured by both her heart and her conscience. He stepped away from Cedric.

'Harry!' called Ron from the crowd of students encircling them. 'What's going on?'

'Harry!' called another voice on the other side of the crowd; Hermione. 'What are you doing?!'

Harry couldn't see either of them. The whole world around him was abuzz, but it was all a blurry mess. He could only see one girl, beyond the raving boy in front of him. And, like the first time he had seen her cry, his heart broke.

'Potter! Are you even listening to me?' demanded Cedric, pushing Harry's shoulders.

That seemed to please the crowd around them; especially Ron and the boys.

'Come on, Harry! Don't let him push you around like that!'

'Fight back, mate!'

'Harry, don't!' shrieked Hermione from somewhere.

Cedric seemed to hear them too. He reached for his waist pocket and pulled out his wand. 'Come on, Harry. You heard them,' he sneered, removing his coat and loosening his bow tie. One last stand; one final fight to prove everything to Cho.

Students around them cheered louder at the hint of a duel. 'Fight!' was chanted, and suddenly Cho snapped to reality.

'Cedric, stop,' she pleaded, pulling his wand arm down. 'Leave it be.'

But Cedric yanked his arm away. 'Come on, Potter!' he mocked. 'Where're your hero antics now?' The gentlemanly, play-fair Cedric Hogwarts knew was somehow too far gone for even the girl he loved to reach.

Harry looked around him, saw the excited faces of students he knew and didn't know, heard the encouraging shouts from Ron, Dean, and Seamus, the disapproving screams from Hermione. He removed his outer coat like Cedric, and unbuttoned his sleeves. Surely Cedric couldn't compare to Lord Voldemort in a duel? Harry would be alright.

Wouldn't he?

Harry felt the smooth handle of his wand, hesitantly pulling it out – the noise around him grew louder, but more still. There was no blood pounding in his ears. No adrenaline pumping through him. No sick thrill coursing through his veins.

Nothing.

Silence.

All for the angel he could see, pleading with her eyes not to give in.

'There may be a bit of man in you after all,' jeered Cedric, leaning forward.

Harry noticed that his breath stank of butterbeer – and – was that ale_? _Or firewhisky?

Cho rushed between them. '_**NO!'**_she screamed. 'NO!' She pushed Cedric fiercely with one hand. 'Stop it! Please! Just put your wand away! _**NOW!**_' She sounded on the verge of tears. Her other hand lay on Harry's chest; dormant, but no doubt ready to shove him away if he felt the urge to fight back.

The crowd grew to a hush, as Cedric put his hands up in surrender, shrugging, though still smirking. He stepped back, and Cho's hand limply dropped to her side. To the surprise of everyone, Cedric held his wand high.

Harry raised his wand arm, and felt the push of Cho's hand on his chest.

Suddenly, Cedric smiled, and let go of his wand.

The mass of students emitted loud, 'Oooh!'s as it clattered to the floor. Harry put his arm down, as did Cho.

And then Cedric charged at Harry, pushing Cho to the side as he tackled the younger boy to the floor. The noise exploded to a deafening climax as the two boys headed for the floor.

'I told you to piss off!' he yelled, ramming his fist into Harry's face and grabbing his collar; Harry's glasses slid to the side onto the floor.

'Get off me!' spat Harry, reaching for the blurry shape of Cedric's throat and trying his best to avoid the Hufflepuff's large fist.

'Cedric, _stop it! _Get off of him!' shouted Cho, pulling helplessly on Cedric's shoulders. 'Harry!'

Harry managed to roll over and throw his fists repeatedly into what seemed to be Cedric's face, until it grew too hard to block and strike Cedric at the same time, and he felt Cedric's knuckles crush into his ribs. Harry let out a bark of pain as Cedric regained momentum and struck a harsh blow to Harry's cheek

'I warned you, didn't I?!' roared Cedric as he pulled himself and Harry up. He sent a punch to Harry's middle, and then attempted to headlock him as he felt Harry's arms try to counter his weight and then send his own fist and knees flying into Cedric's abdomen, repeatedly until the he was released from his headlock. But Cedric then snaked his arm around Harry's neck from behind, tightening. Harry sputtered, reaching behind him in an attempt to alleviate the pressure.

'_**WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?!'**_ roared McGonagall, charging through the entire student body that had gathered around the spectacle. _**'Mr. Diggory! Release Potter at once!**_'

When Cedric did not comply instantly, bundles of students intervened and pulled Cedric away, restraining him as he tried to lunge again, others pulling Harry; Dean found his glasses and promptly put them back into place.

Harry struggled to stand up, despite the aid of the boys behind him.

'You did good, mate,' whispered a voice.

Harry dimly realised it was Ron as pain seared like a hot poker through his middle and his face. He sucked in a breath, clenching his teeth as he tried to see through his glasses.

Cho was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

'May I ask,' began Dumbledore calmly, 'what happened exactly?'

Harry was holding an Infinite-Ice to his ribs as Cedric shot a scowl at him and said, 'Well sir, it's rather... Complex.'

Dumbledore looked at Cedric over the rim of his half-moon spectacles amusedly. 'Well, you see Cedric, we have the rest of the night, seeing as you cut your own evening of festivities quite short.' He sighed. 'Would you mind if I ask Harry to recall tonight's events first?' He eyed Professor Sprout – as head of Hufflepuff – and said, 'Alone, if you please.'

Cedric glared at Harry as he stood up, Professor Sprout guiding her house's poster boy outside.

'Now, Harry, don't leave anything out,' sighed Dumbledore as the door shut.

Harry saw McGonagall at the corner of his eye as he turned shamefacedly to the floor. 'Sir, it really is like Cedric said... It's... Complicated...'


	10. But Only You Can Hurt Me

The last thing Harry remembered seeing before he collapsed was Dumbledore's familiar blue-eyed glint. He awoke in the Hospital wing; stiff, heavy, and aching everywhere. Light shocked his pupils, and he had to shut his eyes as a soft groan left his throat.

'Madame Pomfrey says you collapsed from internal bleeding – or something like that.'

Harry popped an eye open, eager to see the owner of the voice, burning sunshine or not. 'Cho!'

But she didn't look as bright as he said her name; her eyes were swollen from crying, and she looked as if she hadn't slept all night.

Then again, she probably hadn't.

Harry tried to sit up, before Cho stopped him. 'You'll hurt yourself,' she said softly, rubbing his shoulder.

'Well, I'm far gone as it is. Can't do much more,' grinned Harry.

At this, Cho's lips twitched. But it wasn't out of a smile. Instead, the painfully familiar sound of a good cry reached Harry's ears.

'I'm so sorry, Harry,' she sobbed, in between her tears, 'this is all my fault... I should've just – I just let you get hurt – I couldn't do anything...'

Harry lifted a sore left arm and touched her hands. 'No, this isn't your fault.'

'How can you – how can say that?' sputtered Cho, trying her best to regain control of herself, 'You're lying in the Hospital Wing with a broken rib, bruises all over and a gash on your face! It _is_ my fault! I – '

'No, no,' interjected Harry sadly, holding her hand, 'I'm just a really bad fighter, that's all.'

Cho coughed out a laugh, before wiping her eyes and shaking her head. 'Harry...' She tried to smile, holding Harry's hand tight. 'This needs to stop.'

'Well, of course this needs to stop!' Harry agreed. 'I can't just go getting beat up everyday by your crazy boyfriend, you know. I can only take so much.'

'No, I mean _this_. _We_ need to stop.' Cho tried to pull her hand away, but Harry wouldn't let go.

His smile was gone. '...So you picked him, then?'

Cho remained silent as she avoided his gaze.

Harry sat up, too quickly for Cho to object, too quickly for him to realise how much more it hurt to have his heart broken than to re-crush broken ribs. 'Even after everything? After _last night?!_' he said, his words a harsh breath.

But Cho put a hand to his face, her thumb running gently over the stitched gash Cedric's cufflink had made, and then she leaned over to kiss his forehead. 'I'll see you around, Harry.'

'No, wait, Cho – '

But she had already stepped away, smiling at him through the pain. 'We can still be friends, right?'

It was probably the most famous line in all of break-up history.

'Have you gone barmy?!' said Harry, half in agony, half in disbelief. 'Cho, you can't be serious – '

'It'll do you a lot of good this way,' insisted Cho softly, still smiling, continuing to walk backwards to the exit.

'But – but I _love you._ Doesn't that mean anything?' demanded Harry as Cho took a step through the door.

'Of course it does,' said Cho softly, her heartbreak as evident as his. 'But you _can't_. You _shouldn't.'_

Harry was about to ask why the hell not, when she was gone.

* * *

'Mate, we always knew you'd be a heartbreaker,' said Fred and George as they stood by Harry's hospital bed. They put their hands on their hearts. 'We're so proud.'

'You should've seen him take Diggory last night!' scoffed Ron. 'Now the prettyboy isn't so pretty anymore – '

'Oh, be quiet, all of you!' scolded Mrs Weasley, shoving Ron out of the way and patting Harry's hand. 'He's just had his heart broken, not to mention a bone or two.' She smiled comfortingly at Harry. 'Not to worry dear. Time heals all.'

Harry wasn't so sure.

* * *

On the far end of the Hospital Wing, Cedric sat in the chair by the window near his bed; unpleasantly sore, a purplish bruise setting in around his eye, marring his handsome face. To add to his misery, the effects of last night's binge drinking was taking a toll in his head; butterbeer wasn't the only thing he'd managed to get his hands on, and now he felt as if little trolls were mining into his skull, picking away.

The only consolation he had physically was that he wasn't in as bad a shape as Harry; nothing broken or bleeding, just aching, bruised, and his pride sore. Also, he was able to walk up and about, unlike Harry who remained confined to his bed.

_What the hell was wrong with him?_

The anger, the unrestrained aggression, the harshness, even drawing on sheer brutality to win over the one girl he loved? Cedric did not recognise his actions as his own, and yet they simply _were._ What had gone on in his head to make him such a brutish prat? A part of him realised that unlike the Cedric he was known for being, the one that he himself knew, he had let his bitterness and his emotions get the best of him; he had let his first-hand feelings take charge without standing back and seeing the bigger picture – which was what he had always done until now.

And it had resulted in what? A fist fight with the boy who had single-handedly saved him from death, and unreserved pain. Cedric stood up bitterly, willing his tender muscles to move across the floor toward Harry's bed.

At the sight of him coming, just about every Weasley except the Mrs and Ginny scowled; Hermione didn't scowl either.

'What do you want?' growled Ron, standing up and facing the taller, older boy.

Cedric met his eyes, and no aggression, no harsh feelings came. 'I'd just like a word with Harry.'

Fred snorted. 'Mate, you've already had several.'

George coughed. 'Have you come to swank over your victory?'

Cedric let the acid of their words sting him; he more than deserved it. 'I don't deserve to ask anything of any of you, but I'd like to speak to Harry alone.'

Hermione stared at the handsome boy with nothing but pity. 'Come on Ginny. We'll come back later,' she said softly. Cedric's words couldn't have any more menace than the nearest ray of sunshine. She felt herself go pink as he sent a smile of grateful relief in her direction; it wasn't the good-looking grin he was known for, but by Merlin if this one didn't make any girl's heart melt.

And Cedric didn't even know.

'But, 'Mione,' rebutted Ron, 'we can't just let him do what he wants after what he did!'

But the other Weasleys seemed to agree with Hermione – Fred and George ended up dragging Ron away.

And then for the first time that morning, Cedric saw Harry's face.

A gash the size of his little finger he had given lay on the younger Gryffindor's cheek, and a lilac bruise was staining his jaw. And the emeralds of his eyes sent nothing but bitterness.

'Come to gloat, then, have you?' rumbled Harry, trying so hard to believe that Cho's decision would make her happy – and tried to remember that making her happy had been what made him happy – but somewhere in his heart he knew, he just _knew_ there had to have been some mistake. But in his head, Harry knew that the moment Cedric and he had virtually agreed – agreed referring to the exchange of words several months earlier – to each fight for Cho, they had also agreed to accept the consequence of either winning or losing. But a more than broken heart and pain in places inside of him he didn't know he had felt more like an emotional onslaught rather than a consequence to Harry. He tried to keep his words and his gaze steady and calm.

Cedric seemed genuinely surprised. 'About what?' He couldn't help a dry laugh as he leaned on the foot of Harry's bed; laden with sweets and gifts. 'I came to congratulate you.'

This time Harry was taken aback. 'For what? Losing Cho to you?' Cedric was being a total arse if he was being genuine.

Now a little confused, Cedric stepped closer. 'To me? I lost her _to you!_' Harry was being rather bitter after winning probably the most amazing girl in school.

No, _the _most amazing girl in school.

'But she broke up with _me_!'

'Mate, she dumped me this morning.'

Harry pressed his lips into a hard line. 'So if she didn't pick me, and she didn't pick you...'

'She rejected the both of us,' said Cedric melancholically, shaking his head dramatically. 'I'm so heart-broken.'

Harry couldn't help a laugh. Cedric had just given him more than enough reasons to hate him over the past months, but he still had a good sense of humour. 'But question is...'

'_Why?'_ said both boys in unison.

* * *

Cho sat in the window seat in her dormitory, her legs folded, her cheeks ever-increasingly wet from her tears. After running out of the Great Hall last night, she had convinced herself that it was better this way; that she was bad for both boys, that she was like poison to them, and had best leave them both alone to get on with their lives. She would only end up hurting them more than she already had.

The only factor in the equation that didn't add up was why she felt like crap. It would take time, she knew, for the wounds to heal for all three of them, but she didn't expect it to hurt _so bloody much_. Cho had expected – in short – an emotional bloodbath on her part.

Even _that _had been sorely underestimated.

Now all she had to do was sit tight and suck up the pain till it went away.

Cho even made herself laugh at the thought. Every time she would see either boy in the halls, she knew there would be repercussions. Whirlwinds of emotional distress and heartbreak don't come and go without leaving permanent damage, you know.

But now that the whole thing was over – minus the period of depression afterward – she could now guiltlessly ponder who she might've actually picked if last night had gone less... Violently.

Cedric had been a gentleman for the early parts of last night, until he became paranoid, boorish, and more than a little brutish, no thanks to the copious amount of alcohol he'd downed in an attempt to hide his anxiety. But from the beginning of the whole thing, Cho knew that he was only trying to desperately win her back; and she felt nothing but pity for him. He tried so hard to please her, to be what she wanted and needed, but all along he'd known that he wasn't quite it. But he never stopped trying, and in the process had gotten so caught up in it, he'd lost track of himself. Cho hoped he would forgive her someday for the hell she'd put him through; every word, every action he'd taken had been in the hope that she would come back to him; well-intentioned, if not properly executed. Even though she constantly seemed unsatisfied with it, what more could she have ever asked for?

On the other hand, Harry had probably been the most adorable he'd ever been last night – and he'd had some good moments being adorable. He'd been sweet, funny – and to her infinite surprise, Harry's focus that night had not been wooing her in competition with Cedric. His focus had been _her. _She had been his sole spotlight, his whole world that night; and had been every day since they'd first spoken a word to each other. Cho felt it a little unfair that all Harry had to do was be himself for her to be happy. Harry had never enforced his feelings for her upon her in any way; instead, he simply let her know what and how he felt about her.

Cho let a sob choke out as she realised quite simply who she would've chosen. To Cho that had been probably the only major difference between Harry and Cedric; one's goal had been to prove his worth and his love, the other's goal simply had been _her. _Both of them had tried so hard to prove to her that they wanted her more, needed her more than the other, but now thinking on it, she had probably always known. It was ironic how fate decided to wise her up _after_ she had broken three hearts in one day, including her own.

* * *

One month; it seemed like a lifetime in comparison to the rush of time before the Ball, but now that it was all said and done, time passed sluggishly. At least for the two boys it did.

Harry spotted her in the halls and in the corridors, and in the library and at mealtimes; he wanted so desperately to speak to her, to ask why she had bothered breaking two hearts instead of one.

He had not competed as Cedric had for her; while Cedric made sure to buy flowers, hold her hand and made gentlemanly gestures for the sole purpose of winning Cho over, all Harry had done was be himself and hope that it was enough for Cho, because if she chose him, that was all she would ever get. Looking back, he seemed less in action than Cedric; Cedric had employed an array of strategies to win Cho, including romantic outings, gifts – or so Cedric had told him. But Harry had simply given the only thing he really had; his heart.

And then he saw her again, walking down the corridor, exactly the way she had when they had fatefully collided into each other; book open, her face visibly scanning the pages.

Was it fair that he had given everything, and still not gotten anything in return? Was it fair to still feel like she was the centre of his world when he was no longer the centre of hers? Was it at all fair that she still took his breath away, when she obviously tried to ignore him everywhere she went?

But Harry's thoughts were interrupted as he felt a figure blow him over, bringing both to the ground.

'Ooh!'

'Ow-aah!'

Straightening his glasses, he realised that the familiar weight and shape – as he hadn't always been on top – of the figure atop him could only belong to one particular person.

'Hello, Cho,' said Harry, unable to hide the bright tone, as he pushed himself to rest on his elbows, looking down at the top of Cho's head. He realised he was smiling.

Cho snapped her head up. 'Harry! Oh – er – hello.' She scrambled to pick herself up, and leaned down to pick up her book, when as usual, Harry picked it up for her.

'Here,' he said, trying to see her eyes; she was avoiding his gaze.

And then the silence that had taken over just as it had several months ago in a different corridor took over once more; awkward, undoubtedly weird, but unexpectedly pleasant. Although this time, Cho knew that it had to end unwell.

'...So,' said Harry, shrugging, 'How are you?' He wanted to be closer to her but, afraid she would somehow find a way to run off, restrained an itching footstep. 'How've you been?'

Cho's laugh was soft. 'I – ' If she revealed her heartache... 'I'm... Okay, I s'pose.' She steeled herself and brought her eyes to meet his.

Big mistake.

Harry had never wished harder that he could hold her, simply hold her; upon seeing her eyes, immediately he knew something had been eating away at her. And the urge to console her had never been stronger. 'Cho?' he asked, forgetting everything and taking her hand. 'Is everything alright?'

Cho's resolve was ebbing away ever faster. She looked into the green of his eyes, saw the pure love, and fought to regain control of herself. 'Yes,' she said finally, turning her head and pulling her hand away. 'Yes, of course.'

Something inside Harry howled in agony at her denial; it wrought and writhed in pain as Harry watched her go, tightened and clenched its claws, roared ceaselessly, begging her to come back. But Harry was rooted to the spot, unable to move, to think. The only thing he could do was feel; all too well, Harry felt places in his heart ache and moan, demanding an answer at his helplessness.

'Hey Potter,' said a voice behind him.

'Hey Cedric,' replied Harry blankly.

'Was that Cho just now?' asked the Hufflepuff, tucking his books under his arm.

Harry, still staring in the direction Cho had left in, nodded.

Cedric raised his eyebrows. 'What did she want? Is she alright?' When he noticed Harry's expression, Cedric asked, 'Are _you_ alright?'

Harry sighed softly, shaking his head. 'Not really.' He and Diggory were on good terms now – friendly, even. They weren't all that different, really. 'Has Cho spoken to you?' asked Harry, now more than a little determined for answers to all the questions racing around his mind for the past weeks.

Cedric shrugged. 'Well, no.' He looked down at Harry. 'Why?'

'There was something she said that day in the Hospital Wing,' began Harry, shaking his head as if trying to solve a riddle that had always gotten the better of him. 'I didn't know, didn't think about what she meant, but seeing her now... I don't know.'

Cedric's brow furrowed. 'What did she say?'

'She said... She said, "It'll do you a lot of good this way."' Harry pressed his lips together. 'It's... It's odd...'

'As a matter of fact,' said Cedric, thinking, 'She said that to me too. What d'you suppose she meant by that?'

'I don't know,' said Harry, sighing. 'But I'm finding out.'

At this, Cedric folded his arms and tilted his head. 'And how do you suppose you'll do that? She seems to have an aversion to us no matter what we do. And it's not as if you know where Ravenclaw Tower is – let alone how to get inside.'

'No,' Harry said, beginning to grin. 'But _you_ do.'

Cedric's face said it all. '...That's a very good point.'

* * *

It was one Friday afternoon that Cedric showed Harry where Ravenclaw Tower was, and that same Friday evening they decided to pay a visit to their favourite Ravenclaw.

'Are you sure we won't get caught?' enquired Harry as they made their way through a hallway, down a staircase, into a shortcut behind the portrait of the Balding Bee-Keeper, and through a corridor. 'Filch isn't inclined to let me off.'

'Since when were _you_ concerned about rules, Potter?' responded Cedric with a laugh. 'You leave the teachers to me. I'm Head Boy, after all, aren't I?'

'The way you fought me at the Ball, you'd think they'd name you Head Blunderer.'

'And yet you needed a crutch for the next week.' Cedric grinned. 'I'll admit I'm no boxer, but you couldn't throw a punch if you held it in your hand.'

'Said the one with the black-eye.'

'I bruise _easily_, Potter.'

'Yes, and I'm a house elf.'

'Just shut up and follow me.' Cedric walked to the large door of Ravenclaw Tower.

'Now let's hope we can answer the bloody question,' snickered Harry.

'What is darkness?' asked the door.

Cedric and Harry blinked.

'...Bollocks.'

But abruptly, the door began to creak open, very slowly.

The boys' eyes widened.

'Hide!'

The pair sprinted and hid around the corner, Harry stumbling a little along the way.

'No wonder she liked you,' whispered Cedric, 'You're as graceful as she is.'

Harry scowled and began to reply when Cedric put a finger up indicating silence. They looked around the corner to see who else but the object of both their desires warily looking around before making her way down an eastern corridor.

'Now where do you think she could be off to?' asked Cedric, as they came out from behind the corner. When there was no reply, Cedric turned and realised Harry was gone. 'Potter? Potter?!'

'I'm going to find out!' hissed Harry up ahead in the darkness.

Cedric bounded for him, striding to catch up. 'Could've said so earlier,' he mumbled.

'Should've assumed, Ced.'

The pair kept an inconspicuous distance from Cho, catching her right as she crept behind a bookcase.

'Come on!' encouraged Harry.

'No wonder Filch hates you.'

Harry ignored the comment as he slid behind the bookcase and saw Cho walking down a small passageway, and up a flight of stairs. 'I am beyond curious,' he said as he met Cedric's gaze.

As they climbed the stairs – which turned out to be hell in the form of steps – and reached the top, Cedric nearly collapsed onto a wall by a window. 'This is ridiculous!' he puffed. 'What on earth is she doing up here at this hour? Communicating with the stars?!?'

'I heard some Slytherin kid in first year does that.'

'What, communicate with stars?'

'Yeah.'

'Weirdo.'

'I know, right?'

The sound of door click open and swiftly shut closed alerted the boys.

'This way,' said Harry, following the sound, the only light available the moonlight from the single window by the stairs.

They found the door, and sharing one agreed look, opened the door.

They found Cho in a rectangular room with an adjoining outside area; she was crying, sobbing seemingly uncontrollably. She was huddled in the doorway leading to the rooftop, her head on her knees, her arms wrapped around her legs.

The sounds of her tears and the silence made a lethal combination in both boys; unable to stand still and watch the scene before them, unable to take another step or even breathe, they turned towards each other, the emotions they each felt evident in each other's faces and eyes.

'Cho?' Cedric said softly.

The crying angel gasped in surprise, turning to reveal the tears on her face. 'Cedric?' she whispered, almost afraid to look him in the eye. And then another figure in the darkness moved closer, and her eyes were wide at the sight of him. 'Harry?'

_Oh my God._

'Wh-what are you d-doing here?' she asked, shakily pulling herself up. She met Cedric's eyes, and felt the shock racing through his body, felt the need to hold her radiating from him. Cho then looked at Harry; she felt all the emotions running through him in one burst, and Cho wanted to break down and cry again.

'We should ask you the same question...' began Cedric.

'...But we have a funny feeling we can guess,' finished Harry. 'But you can tell us first, in case we're terribly off the mark. We might be, considering our track record.'

Cho choked a laugh through her tears; she couldn't help it. 'N-no,' she said adamantly. 'H-how – wh-why – yo-you...' She realised, like a cracking slap. 'You-you... You two f-followed me!' What were the chances of Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter both coincidentally stumbling across the same room of the same tower on the same night to find her wailing like a baby?

...Well, then again, fate had a thing for her.

Cedric smiled guiltily. 'We had to.'

Harry warily stepped closer. 'You know we did.'

'N-no!' Cho shook her head. 'What – just what do you want?' She wrapped her arms around herself; it was fairly cold, standing by the open door. '_Why_ did you follow me?'

'Because,' said Harry, shrugging sheepishly, 'we have some questions.'

'That you need to answer for us,' said Cedric, following Harry's lead. 'You left us hanging a month ago; you never said why. I lov – ' He turned to Harry, pressing his lips together. '_We _love you. We care about you, Cho.'

'And to add insult to injury,' said Harry, like remembering a fun fact, 'we would like to take care of you, and to make you happy. So if you please – '

'Just answer us.'

'_**Why?'**_

'Why – why what?' asked Cho, frowning at the boys.

'Darling, you can't play dumb,' said Harry.

'You're too smart,' said Cedric pointedly.

Cho looked down at her feet, shifting her arms so that they were folded across her chest. She'd never, _ever _dreamed they'd end up joining up and tag-teaming her. Let alone corner her in a tower room, demanding explanations for their broken hearts, as well as hers. 'I...' What if she told the truth? What if she said she was bad for the both of them, and wasn't good enough for either of them, and should just leave them alone because she'd caused enough trouble as it was? 'I don't want either of you,' she tried to say coldly.

'Haha.'

'You're funny, Cho.'

Well, Cho couldn't deny that they had their similarities. 'Why do you have to be so persistent...' she muttered beneath her breath.

'Sorry, didn't catch that.'

'Neither.'

'Just _**SHUT UP**_!' snapped Cho, angry with herself for letting them see her like this, and angry with them that they had to care so much. 'JUST SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU!' She began to sob again. 'Why can't you just accept the fact that-that – '

'That what?' asked Harry gently, treading closer. His hands wanted to reach out and hold her, but he had to tense them so that they wouldn't.

But Cho was crying again, softer now than before, her hands covering her face; she fell back against the wall, sliding down like she had lost feeling in her legs.

Harry and Cedric shared a look for a moment, before mutually deciding to simultaneously go to her, kneeling beside her by the wall.

'Cho, no, don't cry – '

'It's alright – shhh...'

'You're both stubborn as hell.' The words were muffled, in between the sobs and the tears; Cho's face buried in her arms on her knees.

'We know.'

'But we're not sorry.' Harry, unable to help himself this time, touched her arm with his fingers; she was cold against his skin. His hand spread out across her arm, hoping to warm her somehow. 'Cho,' whispered, aware of the silence save for her tears. 'Cho, please.' He sat down beside her, an arm sliding over her shoulders. 'Just... Just tell us why you're crying... And why... Why you... Let us... Why you let us think that you didn't... Didn't love us. Either of us.' He stroked her hair, rubbing her shoulder at the same time.

Cedric, strangely, did not feel a growling beast inside his chest at the sight of Harry comforting her as he was. Just a bizarre, painful twinge, the strange ache deep inside his heart the only thing he felt then. The pain, sharp, poignant, but still extraordinary, seemed to stem from something more than possessiveness, more than rejection. It came simply from the love he had for Cho – because love did not always bring a smile. But Cedric smiled anyway, painfully. 'We don't... Need to know who you want, or why you want them...' he said slowly, Cho's head lifting to look at him in great surprise as a result. 'We just want to know why you're upset – and... How we can help. And why you seem to be breaking your own heart as well as ours.'

Cho let a hand touch Cedric's face; he smiled at the simple touch. And then she turned to Harry, finding nothing in his eyes but love. 'I... I can't let you two... Go on like this,' she whispered, shaking her head. 'For the past months, all I've brought you is hurt and trouble. And bruises.'

'And hickeys.' Harry pointed to his neck.

'_And_ snog rash.' Cedric rubbed the bottom of his lips.

Cho stared at them both, smiling helplessly. 'I've done nothing but make you hate each other when you so easily could have been friends.' Tonight definitely proved it. 'And I can't let myself do that to you – I love you, the both of you. And I can't just let you tear yourselves apart over me. I'm not good enough for either of you. You're both – you're both so different, but so wonderful... I can't – I _won't_ let myself be such a burden to either of you.'

The boys thought a while, mulling over what she said. Harry, try as he might, put her words this way and that, and they still made no sense to him. Cedric meanwhile, understood perfectly what she'd said, although he slightly disagreed.

'Cho,' said Cedric, a hand on hers, 'I know what you're talking about – but you have to believe me when I say that you didn't make us the beasts we turned out to be. That was entirely our fault.'

'A burden?' repeated Harry, unable to understand how on earth she could have possibly ever thought she was a burden in any way. 'A _burden?'_ whispered Harry again. 'How could you – how could you even...' He looked at her, meeting her eyes. 'You were the only thing – the _only thing_ – that made my day any better. You were the one person I wanted to see – all the time. You were the only thing that let me be who I wanted to be, not who I was made out as.' Harry felt his voice break. 'You're the one thing that keeps me sane.' In between Voldemort, nightmares, homework, and Malfoy, it was undoubtedly true. 'You are the only person that makes me want to trip over every chair in the library, just to make you smile. The _only_ person who makes my heart do funny things in my chest, and the only one who can make me smile without saying a word.'

Cedric, heart still aching, for some reason, felt somehow a little better. And again, for some reason, he kissed Cho's forehead, stood up, opened the door and said, 'If ever she comes crying, you know I'll be the first.' He smiled a little, musingly. Everything didn't seem to matter anymore; not the hurt or the pain, or the broken heart beating inside him. As long as she was happy, he would be too.

Harry stared at the older boy, before understanding and nodding. 'I know.'

And Cedric left, leaving the pair alone. On the bright side, if ever Potter broke her heart, he'd be there –and though Cedric knew that this was highly unlikely, it was a start.

Harry then felt more inclined to gather Cho in his arms and let her cry softly on his chest, soaking his shirt making it look like he'd spontaneously begun to lactate, but he didn't mind. Not one bit.

'You're really, really, really stupid,' said Cho, finally looking up at him, bleary eyed from tears, but smiling.

'I know,' sighed Harry. 'But what can you do?' He stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. Even now, red-eyed from crying, her tears wet on her face, she was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He pressed his forehead to hers. 'If you think that I'm going to leave you alone just because you say you're bad for me, then you are just as stupid as I am. I'm sure you're aware, but I happen to strangely like things that may be bad for me.' He kissed her nose. 'Like wandering out late at night following good-looking Ravenclaws around the place, for instance.'

'I'm not _that_ bad for you,' mumbled Cho, wiping her eyes.

Harry grinned. She had that right. 'Sweetheart, you're like a pack of Honeydukes chocolate after walking past Dementors.'

Cho sat up, eyeing him playfully.

'Harry, I'm the _only thing_ better for you than chocolate.'

* * *

OHMIGHOLYMOTHEROFGAWD IT'S FINISHED!!

This was probably my favourite chapter - I love the funniness :D And the witty retorts, and the comebacks...

So. I think that deserved a review!

Till next time ;)

PS there will actually be no literal next time for this story. It ends here. No sequel - EVER EVER EVER.

Bye now xx


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